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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. What does the author describe as the subject of the Nation of Islam speeches he observed on the streets in "Down at the Cross"?
(a) Love.
(b) Humility.
(c) Acceptance.
(d) Power.

2. After the confrontation at the bar, the author says that one of his companions, a Korean War veteran, said that the bar had been the white man's fight too. How did the white man respond?
(a) "I lost my conscience a long time ago."
(b) "I thank you for your service, Sir."
(c) "You don't fight my fights for me."
(d) "I don't care about the war."

3. 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) His father's death.
(b) The struggle for power.
(c) The intensity of the crowds.
(d) The Vietnam War.

4. 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) 10-15 years.
(b) 100 years.
(c) 5-10 years.
(d) 50-60 years.

5. What does the author claim is the only thing to "cause any of those people to treat you as they presumably wanted to be treated" in "Down at the Cross"?
(a) "The power of attorney."
(b) "The ability to communicate with them."
(c) "The fear of your power to retaliate."
(d) "The ability for empathy."

Short Answer Questions

1. How old was the author when he describes an encounter where a policeman made a racial slur as he passed in Manhattan in "Down at the Cross"?

2. When was Elijah Muhammad born?

3. When did Elijah Muhammad tell the author that the white man's time had been up, but that it had been the will of Allah that the black man be redeemed by his white masters?

4. What word used by the author in "Down at the Cross" means relentless or unstoppable?

5. The author states in the beginning of "Down at the Cross" that he believed that God and what were synonymous?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What does the author remark about the Holocaust in "Down at the Cross"?

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

4. What elements of foreshadowing can be seen in the first part of "Down at the Cross"?

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

6. What parallels does the author draw between Christianity and Islam in "Down at the Cross"?

7. How does the author describe the racial perspectives in the Nation of Islam's belief system?

8. What is noteworthy about the quotes that open "Down at the Cross"?

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

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

(see the answer keys)

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