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

Multiple Choice Questions

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

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

3. From the deaths of Freddie Gray, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Trayvon Martin and Tamir Rice, how many indictments were handed down?
(a) Three.
(b) One.
(c) Zero.
(d) Two.

4. 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) 52.
(c) 64.
(d) 36.

5. 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 nothing.
(b) From God's image.
(c) From a place of understanding.
(d) From the foundation of a strong upbringing.

6. Why was Michael Brown's mother Lesley McSpadden prohibited from coming close to her son's body during the time he lay in the street?
(a) Because her husband requested that she not be allowed to see his body.
(b) She was hysterical.
(c) His body was evidence.
(d) To keep the number of witnesses low.

7. At what type of factory did Kiese Laymon's grandmother work for 30 years?
(a) A candy factory.
(b) A lumber mill.
(c) A chicken plant.
(d) A watchmaking factory.

8. When all flags in the United States flew at half staff after the killings at Mother Emanuel Church in Charleston, which state did not lower its Confederate flag on state-house grounds?
(a) South Carolina.
(b) Kentucky.
(c) Georgia.
(d) Alabama.

9. In order to get away from the site of the murder of her son, Tamir Rice, Samaria Rice moved out of her Cleveland home and into what type of dwelling?
(a) A hotel.
(b) A condominium.
(c) A relative's home.
(d) A homeless shelter.

10. At what age had the author of the essay "Black and Blue" begun walking in Jamaica after dark?
(a) 10.
(b) 13.
(c) 12.
(d) 14.

11. The author of the essay "Black and Blue" imagined himself in childhood as the Jamaican version of what fictional character?
(a) Oliver Twist.
(b) Tom Sawyer.
(c) Holden Caulfield.
(d) Robinson Crusoe.

12. 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 hands in your pockets.
(b) No walking at night.
(c) No living while black.
(d) No standing your ground.

13. Which of her audiences does Kiese Laymon say his grandmother had considered to be the most important audience of her work?
(a) Upcoming Southern black women workers.
(b) Preceding Southern black women workers.
(c) The women at her church.
(d) White male shift managers.

14. To end his essay "Blacker Than Thou," what three fruits does Kevin Young recollect eating in the morning?
(a) Apples, pears, and strawberries.
(b) Kiwis, mangos, and pears.
(c) Grapes, blackberries, and plums.
(d) Bananas, raspberries, and apples.

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

Short Answer Questions

1. 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?

2. How does the author of "The Condition of Black Life is One of Mourning" characterize the attempt by some white people to amend the language of the Black Lives Matter movement to All Lives Matter?

3. To which book of the Bible does the OutKast song "Da Art of Storytellin' (Pt. 2)" refer?

4. What belief did Kiese Laymon's grandmother hold that he points to as the only reason he is alive?

5. What is the term used for a person's ability to be regarded as belonging to a different race, culture, or group different from their own?

(see the answer keys)

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