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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. When was the Nation of Islam founded?
(a) July 4, 1936.
(b) July 4, 1961.
(c) July 4, 1930.
(d) July 4, 1940.

2. 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) The Vietnam War.
(b) World War II.
(c) The Police.
(d) The Presidential elections.

3. The author states in "Down at the Cross," "I certainly could not discover any principled reason for not becoming a criminal, and it is not my poor, God-fearing parents who are to be indicted for the lack but" what?
(a) "My intelligence."
(b) "My faith."
(c) "This society."
(d) "The oppression of my people."

4. The authors writes in "Down at the Cross," "Yes, it does indeed mean something - something unspeakable - to be born, in a white country, and Anglo-Teutonic, antisexual country, black. You very soon, without knowing it, give up all hope of" what?
(a) "Inflation."
(b) "Redemption."
(c) "Communion."
(d) "Communication."

5. When did Rudyard Kipling live?
(a) 1798-1856.
(b) 1802-1880.
(c) 1899-1959.
(d) 1865-1936.

Short Answer Questions

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

2. 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"?

3. What does the author say "changes, totally and forever, the nature of reality and brings into devastating question the true meaning of man's history" in "Down at the Cross"?

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

5. What does the author describe feeling guilty about having in his pocket when he visited Elijah Muhammad in "Down at the Cross"?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(see the answer keys)

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