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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Where is Charisma Molina an assistant principal?

2. How does the narrator translate "Cogito, ergo Boogieum" to English in Chapter 14 (183)?

3. Where is Kinshasa located?

4. How much older is Nestor Lopez than the narrator?

5. What did Foy Cheshire rename The Iceman Cometh?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does the narrator slip out of the meeting in Chapter 19?

2. How is the narrator's satsuma tree employed as a symbol in the novel?

3. What does the apple tree symbolize in Chapter 18?

4. What actions does the narrator describe taking with Hominy in order to restore segregation in Dickens in Chapter 20?

5. What is "Whitey Week" and how is it defined in Chapter 20?

6. Why does the narrator say he was reluctant to segregate the hospital in Chapter 20?

7. How does the narrator define sister cities in "City Lites: An Interlude"?

8. What is burned at the ending of Career Day at Chaff Middle School? Why?

9. What does the narrator demonstrate on Career Day at the Chaff Middle School?

10. Where does the narrator describe his father taking him in order to show him that racism still exists?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the symbolism and imagery connected to the narrator's two-acre farm in Dickens. What does the narrator grow on the farm? How are the procedures of running the farm related to life and race relations in the story?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the theme of community as an essential component of identity in The Sellout. In what ways do the inhabitants of Dickens come together in the course of the story? What brings them together? How are their identities shaped by the re-establishment of Dickens?

Essay Topic 3

Describe and discuss the narrative style of The Sellout. From what perspective is the story related? Is the narrative related in the present, past, or future tense? Who is the presumed audience of the narrative?

(see the answer keys)

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