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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. In "Unspeakable Things Unspoken," Morrison introduces Rafferty's criticism of Milan Kundera's Eurocentrism because she says that it can do what?
(a) Serve as a model for African American writers seeking inclusion in 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) Highlight the need for a new appraisal of European contributions to the canon.

2. In "Invisible Ink," what word does Morrison object to when it is applied to reading?
(a) Participation.
(b) Art.
(c) Challenge.
(d) Pleasure.

3. 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) Hiding his face behind a mask.
(c) His gender.
(d) His race.

4. In "On Beloved," Morrison says that one thing that frustrates her is the absence of Black girls where?
(a) In media and entertainment.
(b) In science and mathematics.
(c) In elite educational institutions.
(d) In history and literature.

5. In "Unspeakable Things Unspoken," Morrison says that arguments against the inclusion of African American writings in the canon follow a sequence that ends with what belief?
(a) African American literature does not exist.
(b) African American literature is inferior.
(c) African American literature is a rich raw material but it needs refinement by a Western or European hand.
(d) African American literature can be superior, but only by meeting the standards of the Western canon.

Short Answer Questions

1. In "Memory, Creation, and Fiction," Morrison says what of her process of writing Tar Baby?

2. In "The Writer Before the Page," Morrison compares a successful text to what?

3. In "God's Language," what does Morrison say seems more true the longer she writes?

4. Who was James Baldwin?

5. In "Hard, True, and Lasting," Morrison says that she can tolerate being alienated from the dominant culture because she knows what?

Short Essay Questions

1. In “Gertrude Stein and the Difference She Makes," Morrison says that the two responses to chaos are "renaming" and "violence." What does she mean by this?

2. In “Academic Whispers," what three reasons does Morrison say are poor reasons to include African American literature in the canon?

3. In “The Trouble with Paradise," what does Morrison mean when she says that fiction writers have to stare unblinking into the "realm of difference"?

4. In “James Baldwin Eulogy,” what does Morrison describe as Baldwin's contribution to language?

5. In “Memory, Creation, and Fiction," what Black cultural aesthetic expectations does Morrison discuss as important in her work, and why is it important to her to use them?

6. In “Introduction of Peter Sellars," what are the main points of Morrison's praise for Peter Sellars as an artist?

7. In “Unspeakable Things Unspoken," what does Morrison say she is trying to evoke with the image of nightshade in the beginning of Sula?

8. In “Invisible Ink," what does Morrison say bothers her about the association of the word "pleasure" with reading?

9. In “The Site of Memory," what reasons does Morrison give for finding her inclusion in an anthology about memoir to be both strange and appropriate?

10. In “Tribute to Romare Bearden," Morrison praises Bearden's work as a dialogue between artists; how does she see his work impacting her own?

(see the answer keys)

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