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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In her "James Baldwin Eulogy," Morrison makes an allusion to what Biblical story?
(a) The visit of the Three Wise Men to the Christ child.
(b) The destruction of Solomon's temple.
(c) David and Goliath.
(d) Leviathan.

2. John Gardner's novel Grendel uses the original story as a source for what?
(a) A feminist interpretation of Grendel's mother.
(b) A retelling from Grendel's point of view.
(c) A meditation on the nature of heroism.
(d) A psychological study of motherhood.

3. In "Faulkner and Women," what effect does Morrison say Faulkner has had on her writing?
(a) Faulkner was the inspiration for Song of Solomon.
(b) None.
(c) He provided an example of how to manipulate language.
(d) She uses symbolism in a similar way.

4. In "Unspeakable Things Unspoken," Morrison introduces Rafferty's criticism of Milan Kundera's Eurocentrism because she says that it can do what?
(a) Highlight the need for a new appraisal of European contributions to the canon.
(b) Demonstrate why the American canon is an illusion.
(c) Motivate a re-imagining of the role of scholarship in shaping the canon.
(d) Serve as a model for African American writers seeking inclusion in the canon.

5. In "God's Language," what does Morrison say seems more true the longer she writes?
(a) The impossibility of writing.
(b) That it will be possible to merge the scientific and the artistic.
(c) The centrality of African American subjects.
(d) That she deserves the praise she got earlier in her career.

6. What is the purpose of the Edvard Munch quote in "Memory, Creation, and Fiction"?
(a) It supports the counterclaim that history is more reliable than memory.
(b) It reinforces the centrality of the visual arts in Morrison's creative process.
(c) It supports the claim that memory is more reliable than history.
(d) It introduces Morrison's central point about how memory is employed in writing fiction.

7. In "Rememory," what does Morrison say causes her to rely on memory rather than history?
(a) History is a biased record.
(b) History isn't relevant to the topics she writes about.
(c) History is oriented toward the "male gaze."
(d) History is dull and lifeless.

8. In "The Source of Self-Regard," which two of her works does Morrison chiefly discuss?
(a) Song of Solomon and Beloved.
(b) Sula and Song of Solomon.
(c) Beloved and Jazz.
(d) Jazz and Sula.

9. In "Gertrude Stein and the Difference She Makes," Morrison posits that the "Lone" Ranger is "lone" because of what?
(a) The presence of Tonto.
(b) His gender.
(c) His race.
(d) Hiding his face behind a mask.

10. In "Grendel and His Mother," Morrison notes that Beowulf is a part of Western literature's characterization of evil as what?
(a) A philosophical construct.
(b) Feminine.
(c) Pervasive.
(d) A product of environment.

11. In "Gertrude Stein and the Difference She Makes," Morrison proposes that the third response to chaos is what?
(a) Stillness.
(b) Genocide.
(c) Hierarchy.
(d) Laughter.

12. Who was James Baldwin?
(a) A civil rights leader.
(b) A visual artist.
(c) Toni Morrison's partner.
(d) A writer.

13. In "The Source of Self-Regard," Morrison suggests that one reason that her work is widely taught is that it is what?
(a) Challenging to younger readers.
(b) Made to stand in for all of Black literature.
(c) Filled with reflection on contemporary social issues.
(d) A more intimate way of reading history.

14. In "Invisible Ink," Morrison says that she deliberately introduces ambiguity into her novels for what purpose?
(a) To make the reader participate in the construction of the novel.
(b) To create suspense.
(c) As an emotional challenge to the reader.
(d) As a thematic reminder that the world itself is ambiguous.

15. In "The Trouble with Paradise," Morrison says she knows how whiteness "matures and ascends the throne of universalism." What is the best descriptor of this phrase?
(a) Morrison metaphorically compares whiteness to a royal leader and universalism to a kingdom.
(b) Morrison uses sibilance to suggest that whiteness is demonic.
(c) Morrison personifies whiteness in order to attribute dark motives to its actions.
(d) Morrison uses royal imagery to establish the legitimacy of white universalism.

Short Answer Questions

1. In "On Beloved," Morrison says that what field of study drew her to the subject matter of Beloved?

2. In "God's Language," what does Morrison say is the place of religion in African American culture?

3. In "Goodbye to All That," Morrison opens with an anecdote about asking an interviewer to omit all questions about what?

4. In "Unspeakable Things Unspoken," Morrison introduces Rogin's commentary on Moby Dick for what purpose?

5. In "Hard, True, and Lasting," Morrison says that what feeling is the first one writers feel when they begin to write?

(see the answer keys)

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