1. The author states in "Down at the Cross," "White Americans find it as difficult as white people elsewhere to divest themselves of the notion that they are in possession of" what?
(a) "Some intrinsic value that black people need, or want."
(b) "A need for love."
(c) "The greatest power of mankind."
(d) "An intellect that far surpasses that of minorities."

2. The author claims in "Down at the Cross" that two things caused him to begin listening to the Muslim speakers. What was the second thing?
(a) The intensity of the crowds.
(b) His father's death.
(c) The Vietnam War.
(d) The struggle for power.

3. Of the letter recipient's father, the author says in "My Dungeon Shook," I hear in his present laughter" what?
(a) "The singing of birds of yesterday."
(b) "The laughter of tomorrow."
(c) "The gravelly voice of our father."
(d) "His laughter as a child."

4. In what periodical was "Down at the Cross" first published?
(a) Time.
(b) Publisher's Weekly.
(c) Reader's Digest.
(d) The New Yorker.

5. Senator Robert Byrd was a former member of what organization?
(a) The Ku Klux Klan.
(b) The American Communist Party.
(c) The NAACP.
(d) The American Labor Party.

Short Answer Questions

1. What word from "Down at the Cross" refers to a political leader who seeks support by appealing to popular desires and prejudices rather than by using rational argument?

2. What word from"Down at the Cross" means characterized by refusal or compromise to abandon an extreme position or attitude?

3. Where was W.E.B. Du Bois born?

4. What controversial, best-selling novel did James Baldwin write, according to the author's bio in the end of the book?

5. Where does the author describe listening to the Muslim speakers in "Down at the Cross"?

(see the answer key)

This section contains 317 words
(approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page)

View a FREE sample