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

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

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

4. What question does Morrison say is at the center of of government?
(a) Creating peace and security.
(b) Cultural apartheid or integration.
(c) Control over history's narrative.
(d) Distribution of wealth.

5. In "Cinderella's Stepsisters," Morrison says that we must use freedom to do what?
(a) Free others.
(b) Create art.
(c) Educate ourselves.
(d) Overthrow corrupt institutions.

Short Answer Questions

1. According to Morrison, globalism creates a fear of what?

2. In "The Individual Artist," why does Morrison say that the romantic vision of the artist is a "Procrustean bed"?

3. The art show Morrison discusses in "Harlem on My Mind" had a catalog with a forward written by whom?

4. 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?

5. In "Black Matter(s)," Morrison says that a key "absence" in writing about racism is the omission of its impact on whom?

Short Essay Questions

1. In her speech “Cinderella’s Stepsisters," what is the purpose of the allusion to Cinderella?

2. In “The Slavebody and the Blackbody,” how does Morrison differentiate between these two kinds of bodies, and why does she bother?

3. In “Moral Inhabitants," Morrison opens with some U.S. Census statistics. What are they and why does she include them?

4. What current problems with arts funding does Morrison identify in “Arts Advocacy”?

5. In “Black Matter(s)," what main points does Morrison make about the alleged race-neutrality of American history?

6. In “A Race in Mind: The Press in Deed," how does Morrison connect the idea of "special interests" with the racial identification of subjects in news stories?

7. In “The Future of Time: Literature and Diminished Expectations," why does Morrison say it is important for us to turn our attention to the future?

8. In “Women, Race, and Memory” how does Morrison describe the way "non-aligned" women are viewed by feminists and anti-feminists, and how do non-aligned women view them?

9. In “Black Matter(s)," in what ways does Morrison say Africanism has become a "disabling virus"?

10. In “Black Matter(s)," what does Morrison mean by the term "Africanism"?

(see the answer keys)

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