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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. The author claims in "Down at the Cross" that two things caused him to begin listening to the Muslim speakers. What was the first thing?
(a) World War II.
(b) The Vietnam War.
(c) The Presidential elections.
(d) The Police.

2. In becoming a successful Young Minister, the author describes his rivalry with whom, in "Down at the Cross"?
(a) His father.
(b) His uncle.
(c) His older brother.
(d) His younger brother.

3. What does the author describe school revealing itself to be to the black community passing through adolescence in "Down at the Cross"?
(a) "A segue into more fruitful endeavors."
(b) "A pursuit toward excellence."
(c) "A child's game that one could not win."
(d) "A path to enlightenment."

4. Who founded the Nation of Islam?
(a) James Whitney.
(b) Wallace D. Ford.
(c) Malcolm X.
(d) Assata Shakur.

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

Short Answer Questions

1. What kind of athletic career does the author describe pursuing but not succeeding at in "Down at the Cross"?

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

3. 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?

4. On what day of the week does the author describe visiting Elijah Muhammad in "Down at the Cross"?

5. Who is quoted as having said "It is better to marry than to burn" in "Down at the Cross"?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

8. 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?

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

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

(see the answer keys)

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