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This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through Section 8: Part II--God’s Language, including the essays “The Source of Self-Regard” through “Invisible Ink: Reading the Writing and Writing the Reading”.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In "Black Matter(s)," Morrison retells the story of William Dunbar as an example of what?
(a) A prototypical American white male.
(b) A slave who struggled to make his voice heard.
(c) A victim of state violence.
(d) A critic who understands the significance of Black art.

2. In "Goodbye to All That," what does Morrison say was her motive for insisting on being identified as a Black writer from the beginning?
(a) She hoped to provoke a conversation about the viability of Black culture.
(b) She wanted to unambiguously reject white culture.
(c) She hoped to make an argument for Black universalism.
(d) She wanted to expand critical vocabulary to encompass territory within Black culture.

3. Based on your reading of "Arts Advocacy," which statement would Morrison agree with?
(a) Artists are not responsible for a dialogue with society.
(b) Art is a steadying force in society.
(c) Real artists are able to create regardless of their circumstances.
(d) The existence of art in a society is precarious.

4. "The War Against Error" is a fifteenth and sixteenth century effort to eliminate what kind of error?
(a) Movements against genocide and ethnic cleansing.
(b) Philosophical thinking that questioned the power of the state.
(c) The acceptance of Africans into European society.
(d) Religious beliefs that differed from community norms.

5. In the story that opens "The Nobel Lecture in Literature," where does the old woman say the answer to the children's question is?
(a) In their hands.
(b) In her eyes.
(c) In their hearts.
(d) She doesn't actually answer their question.

Short Answer Questions

1. According to "Harlem on My Mind," almost 28 years after the "Harlem" exhibit, the Guggenheim museum did what?

2. In "Grendel and His Mother," what omission from Beowulf does Morrison say is significant?

3. In "Women, Race, and Memory," Morrison uses the phrase "internecine conflict." In context, this phrase means what?

4. What does Morrison say is at its greatest height since the time of the slave trade?

5. In "The Price of Wealth, the Cost of Care," Morrison compares money to what?

(see the answer key)

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