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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Where is the “tall, rawboned, red-faced man” from that the narrator encounters on the train in Chapter 10?

2. What genre of music does the narrator first hear at the “Club” in Chapter 6?

3. Where does the man that the narrator befriends on the ship ask him to stop for two or three days in Chapter 10?

4. The “white-mustached, well dressed man” that the narrator encounters on the train in Chapter 10 fought in what war?

5. How much money does the narrator say that the most popular African American jockey of the day earns per year in Chapter 7?

Short Essay Questions

1. What have critics noted in regard to the relationship between the millionaire and the narrator in the novel?

2. How does the narrator respond to the events surrounding the widow in the end of Chapter 8?

3. How is humor used in the slave narratives and in the novel?

4. What happens to the wealthy widow in Chapter 8? Why?

5. Where do the millionaire and the narrator spend time in Europe in Chapter 9? What role does the narrator play in their relationship?

6. How does the narrator describe the draw of New York in Chapter 6? What imagery is used?

7. With whom does the narrator discuss race relations while on the train in Chapter 10?

8. How is ragtime music received in Europe, according to the narrator in Chapter 9?

9. Who hires the narrator as a patron in Chapter 7? What does the narrator do for his employer?

10. What musical style does the narrator describe in depth in Chapter 5? When did this style emerge?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Elaborate on the setting of New York City in the narrative. How does the African American culture in New York at this time differ from what the narrator has experienced in Connecticut, Georgia, or Florida? What are his perceptions of the black community here? How does the music inspire the narrator?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the imagery and symbolism used by the narrator in describing Paris and London in Chapter 9. How does he compare these cities? What are examples of personification, simile, and metaphor in his descriptions? How does this imagery affect the tone of this chapter?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the setting of Jacksonville, Florida, in the narrative. Why does the porter suggest that the narrator go to Jacksonville to find work? How did the segregation laws differ in Florida than Georgia during this time period? How does the narrator travel to Jacksonville?

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