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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What is it that Morrison says distinguishes globalism from previous movements?
(a) Its speed.
(b) Its documentation in literature.
(c) Changes in political alliances.
(d) The way it distributes wealth.

2. In "Literature and Public Life," Morrison opens by joking that because she was once a student at the place she is now speaking, what might happen after her speech?
(a) She will have to defend her speech before an academic committee.
(b) The university will decide to take her degree away.
(c) She will be accused of plagiarizing the writer Toni Morrison.
(d) She will be charged tuition for the time she spent on campus giving the speech.

3. In "The Individual Artist," what does Morrison find interesting about the feud between literary critics from different schools of criticism?
(a) Structuralists see the work as a dynamic interaction between reader and text.
(b) Black authors are being centered in the canon for the first time.
(c) There seems to be no place for the artist in the argument.
(d) It has been covered in the Times Literary Supplement.

4. In "Moral Inhabitants," Morrison says that the ability to make fine distinctions shows what?
(a) Prejudice.
(b) Ignorance.
(c) Morality.
(d) Intelligence.

5. In her "Sarah Lawrence Commencement Address," Morrison says that when you hate you become what?
(a) A victim.
(b) A monster.
(c) A slave.
(d) An addict.

6. According to Morrison, how does fascism arise?
(a) By insisting that all people be treated identically.
(b) As a series of small, orderly steps.
(c) With sudden revolution.
(d) When minority groups gain power over the majority.

7. In "Women, Race, and Memory," Morrison blames what group for the oppression of women?
(a) Writers.
(b) Government.
(c) Other women.
(d) The Christian church.

8. In "Literature and Public Life," what does Morrison say shapes our understanding of community?
(a) Literature from the canon.
(b) Literature from outside the canon.
(c) The media, especially television.
(d) Government propaganda.

9. In "Race Matters," Morrison says that she refuses to write in what voice?
(a) A race-specific one.
(b) The master's.
(c) The slave's.
(d) A masculine one.

10. What does Morrison say is at its greatest height since the time of the slave trade?
(a) The opening of boarders.
(b) Globalism.
(c) The mass movement of people.
(d) Legislative attempts to integrate newcomers.

11. Which of the following is a key characteristic of globalism, according to Morrison?
(a) The Americanization of the world.
(b) Creating world peace.
(c) Celebration of diversity.
(d) Unity among workers.

12. In "Literature and Public Life," Morrison says that the public interest has been redefined as what?
(a) Class warfare.
(b) Extremism.
(c) Private interest.
(d) Special interests.

13. Morrison's reading of fiction about Africa written by non-African writers reminded her of what part of her childhood?
(a) When the church collection plate was passed to raise money for Africa.
(b) Her own immigration to America from Ghana.
(c) The first time she was called a racial epithet.
(d) When she struggled to understand a movie set in Asia.

14. In "The Future of Time," Morrison worries that we increasingly turn to the past for what?
(a) Answers to current problems.
(b) Evidence to confirm our biases.
(c) Visions of what our future could be.
(d) Philosophical wisdom.

15. "The War on Error" is a speech given to what group?
(a) Sarah Lawrence College.
(b) Amnesty International.
(c) The Newspaper Association of America.
(d) ArtTable.

Short Answer Questions

1. In "The Slavebody and the Blackbody," when Morrison suggests that writing about slavery cuts away at the scar tissue the blackbody uses to hide the slavebody, what technique is she using?

2. In "The In "The Nobel Lecture in Literature," Morrison speculates about how much more knowledge we would have if scholarship was not held back by what?

3. In "Literature and Public Life," Morrison says that we live in the age of what?

4. In "Arts Advocacy," Morrison recounts discovering that a highly regarded artist vetoed funding for another artist for what reason?

5. In "Race Matters," what word does Morrison call an unsatisfying and shallow ending for Beloved?

(see the answer keys)

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