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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. For how long did the author remain on the pulpit as a Young Minister?
(a) Less than 6 months.
(b) About 2 years.
(c) Over 3 years.
(d) Less than a year.

2. In describing white liberal attitudes in "Down at the Cross," the author states that "they could deal with the Negro as a symbol or a victim but has no real sense of him as" what?
(a) "An intellect."
(b) "A man."
(c) "A political power."
(d) "A master."

3. The author states in "Down at the Cross," "White people hold the power, which means that they are" what?
(a) "Selfish."
(b) "Free."
(c) "Superior to blacks."
(d) "Inferior to blacks."

4. The author states in the beginning of "Down at the Cross" that he believed that God and what were synonymous?
(a) Purity.
(b) Salvation.
(c) Safety.
(d) Faith.

5. Of the girls in Harlem going through adolescence, the author says in "Down at the Cross," "They understood that they must act as God's" what?
(a) "Love."
(b) "Watchmen."
(c) "Angels."
(d) "Decoys."

Short Answer Questions

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

2. How does the author describe his feelings about "a separate black economy in America"?

3. As the author describes growing up in Harlem in "Down at the Cross," he says, "In the same way that the girls were destined to gain as much weight as their mothers, the boys, it was clear, would" what?

4. Where does the author claim he was when a bartender refused to serve him and some friends in "Down at the Cross"?

5. 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?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the subject of the hymn that opens "Down at the Cross"? How does this quote tie in with the essay's themes?

2. How does the author describe his religious faith to Elijah Muhammad in "Down at the Cross"?

3. What causes the author irritation during his dinner at Elijah Muhammad's home?

4. What "truth" does the author describe finding through this experiences with Christianity?

5. How does the author perceive the expression of pain and suffering of blacks through Christianity?

6. Who was Elijah Muhammad? What was his role within the Nation of Islam?

7. How does the author describe the setting of Elijah Muhammad's home in "Down at the Cross"?

8. What does the author point out as the failings of Christianity and Islam in "Down at the Cross"?

9. How would you describe the tone in the second section of "Down at the Cross"? How has the author's perspective changed?

10. In the second section of "Down at the Cross," the author points out many reasons that American society is not healed in relation to race. How does he propose it might become healed?

(see the answer keys)

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