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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. 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 Korean War.
(b) World War II.
(c) World War I.
(d) The Vietnam War.

2. Where does the author describe listening to the Muslim speakers in "Down at the Cross"?
(a) Delancey and Hickamore Streets.
(b) Broadway and 45th Street.
(c) 125th Street and Seventh Avenue.
(d) 12th Street and Seventh Avenue.

3. 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) Protagonist.
(c) Demagogue.
(d) Antagonist.

4. What does the author describe feeling guilty about having in his pocket when he visited Elijah Muhammad in "Down at the Cross"?
(a) A flask of whiskey.
(b) A notepad.
(c) Cigarettes.
(d) A tape recorder.

5. What word from "Down at the Cross" refers to people who engage in dishonest and fraudulent business dealings?
(a) Hucksters.
(b) Sheisters.
(c) Diffidents.
(d) Racketeers.

Short Answer Questions

1. What author does the narrator describe beginning to read when he began losing his faith in "Down at the Cross"?

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?

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

4. 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?

5. In what periodical was "Down at the Cross" first published?

Short Essay Questions

1. What hypocrisies in Christianity and the Nation of Islam does Baldwin point out in "Down at the Cross"?

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

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

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

5. How does the author describe his departure from Elijah Muhammad's home in "Down at the Cross"?

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

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

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

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

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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