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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. Who is quoted as having said "It is better to marry than to burn" in "Down at the Cross"?
(a) St. Andrew.
(b) St. George.
(c) St. Peter.
(d) St. Paul.

2. 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?
(a) Pedagogue.
(b) Antagonist.
(c) Protagonist.
(d) Demagogue.

3. What does the word "bulwark" mean in "Down at the Cross"?
(a) A defensive wall.
(b) A rope attached to a roof.
(c) A chain.
(d) A fencing sword.

4. In what war does the author describe many of his friends enlisting in the service to fight in the beginning of "Down at the Cross"?
(a) The Vietnam War.
(b) The Korean War.
(c) World War II.
(d) World War I.

5. The author puts forth the Nation of Islam's belief that the white man's rule will be ended in how much time in "Down at the Cross"?
(a) 5-10 years.
(b) 100 years.
(c) 10-15 years.
(d) 50-60 years.

Short Answer Questions

1. 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?

2. The author asserts in "Down at the Cross," "The real reason that nonviolence is considered to be a virtue in Negroes--I am not speaking now of its racial value, another matter altogether--is that white men do not want" what?

3. Where was the author going when he crossed Fifth Avenue in Manhattan and the policeman made a racial slur toward him in "Down at the Cross"?

4. Where does the author describe having dinner at Elijah Muhammad's home in "Down at the Cross"?

5. When did the Tunisians rise up against the French, according to the author in "Down at the Cross"?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does the author describe discussing with his driver after leaving Elijah Muhammad's home in "Down at the Cross"?

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

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

4. What is the source of the author's anger and resentment toward his father?

5. What differences does the author point out between Christianity and Islam in the second section of "Down at the Cross"?

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

7. How would you describe the central subject and structure of the first part of "Down at the Cross"?

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

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

10. How does the author compare his involvement in ministry with the thugs on the Avenue in "Down at the Cross"?

(see the answer keys)

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