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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In what state did Kiese Laymon's grandmother live and work?
(a) Mississippi.
(b) Georgia.
(c) Louisiana.
(d) Alabama.

2. How old was Tamir Rice at the time he was shot and killed by Cleveland police officers?
(a) 18.
(b) 12.
(c) 20.
(d) 16.

3. The essay entitled "Black and Blue" takes its name from a song by what African-American musician?
(a) James Brown.
(b) Fats Waller.
(c) Muddy Waters.
(d) Jelly Roll Morton.

4. In what country did Rachel Dolezal falsely claim to have lived?
(a) South Africa.
(b) Zimbabwe.
(c) Jordan.
(d) Nigeria.

5. When Kiese Laymon invites his grandmother up to Oxford where he lives at the time, why does she refuse to come?
(a) Because there is a music festival happening in her hometown.
(b) Because Kiese is the only black person she knows in Oxford.
(c) Because her health is too poor for such a long trip.
(d) Because she does not like to infringe upon Kiese's privacy.

6. What author does the poem "Queries of Unrest" reference in its dedication?
(a) Hanif Willis-Abdurraqib.
(b) Walt Whitman.
(c) James Baldwin.
(d) Langston Hughes.

7. When the author of the essay "Black and Blue" was warned by university officials to avoid walking in certain areas of the city, what threat does he mistakenly think he is being warned about?
(a) Police.
(b) Weather.
(c) Criminals.
(d) Wild animals.

8. What musician does Kevin Young name as the most prominent example of a white person living as a black person?
(a) Bobby Darin.
(b) Little Richard.
(c) Johnny Otis.
(d) Rufus Wainwright.

9. When Kiese Laymon was busy analyzing the Outkast song "Wailin'," what was he supposed to be doing instead?
(a) Writing a paper about "The Cask of Amontillado."
(b) Baking a rhubarb pie for his grandmother.
(c) Applying for jobs.
(d) Applying to graduate schools.

10. What record does The High Bridge hold within New York City?
(a) Oldest standing bridge.
(b) Most often traversed bridge.
(c) Tallest bridge.
(d) Longest bridge.

11. What name did Kiese Laymon call his grandmother?
(a) Granny.
(b) Mama.
(c) Grandmama.
(d) Gran.

12. What emotion did Emily Dickinson define as "the thing with feathers" (166)?
(a) Courage.
(b) Freedom.
(c) Hope.
(d) Despair.

13. How does the author of "The Condition of Black Life is One of Mourning" end her list of rules that she says may help a black person avoid being killed?
(a) No standing your ground.
(b) No walking at night.
(c) No living while black.
(d) No hands in your pockets.

14. When discussing the murders at Emanuel Methodist Church, the author of "The Condition of Black Life is One of Mourning" states, "But Dylann Storm Roof did not create himself from" (146) what element?
(a) From a place of understanding.
(b) From God's image.
(c) From the foundation of a strong upbringing.
(d) From nothing.

15. How many years elapsed between the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama and the shootings at the Emanuel Methodist Church in Charleston, South Carolina?
(a) 41.
(b) 36.
(c) 64.
(d) 52.

Short Answer Questions

1. What belief does Mitchell Jackson hold that he underscores by calling it his "beating heart" (179)?

2. Which black female artist's work does Kiese Laymon set up as a counterpoint to the work of OutKast?

3. In what decade did the the use of blackface begin?

4. To begin the essay "The Condition of Black Life is One of Mourning," Claudia Rankine relates a story about a friend of hers who had just given birth to a baby boy and whose first thought upon his birth was how she could get him out of the country. This thought occurred to her even before she had performed what two actions?

5. The series of Know Your Rights murals were placed in all of New York City's burroughs, with the exception of which burrough?

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