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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. Which black female artist's work does Kiese Laymon set up as a counterpoint to the work of OutKast?
(a) Jill Scott.
(b) Lauryn Hill.
(c) Queen Latifah.
(d) Missy Elliott.

2. 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.

3. What was the first OutKast album Kiese Laymon ever heard?
(a) Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik.
(b) Aquemini.
(c) AtLliens.
(d) Stankonia.

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

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

Short Answer Questions

1. 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?

2. 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?

3. 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?

4. In what country did Rachel Dolezal falsely claim to have lived?

5. In what state did Kiese Laymon's grandmother live and work?

Short Essay Questions

1. What was the object mentioned in the very first lines of OutKast's music first heard by Kiese Laymon and why did the object's mention draw him in?

2. How is paradox employed within the poem "Queries of Unrest" and to what effect?

3. What distinction does Kiese Laymon make between "stank" and "freshness" (118) in his essay "Da Art of Storytellin' (A Prequel)"?

4. What is People's Justice and what is the organization's goal?

5. How does the poem "Queries of Unrest" connect to the part of the collection that it opens, entitled Reckoning?

6. What two reasons does the author of "Know Your Rights" give for being bothered by her four-year-old son's tantrum during the family's walk to High Bridge?

7. How does Kevin Young, the author of the essay "Blacker Than Thou" support his point that similarities and solidarity among black people are more about culture than about physical appearances?

8. Why does Garnette Cadogan hold out hope that he will not encounter the same problems while walking in New York City that he had while walking in New Orleans?

9. What two categories does Kevin Young say white thinking or acting out about being black almost always fall into and what example does he give for each category he names?

10. What event does the author of "Composite Pops" name as the one that taught him that he must be able to save himself?

(see the answer keys)

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