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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Morrison say is a key reason for Western projections onto Africa?

2. In "Race Matters," Morrison creates a metaphorical comparison between "race-specific, race-free" language and what?

3. In "The Future of Time," Morrison points to what two forces as responsible for our modern relationship to the future?

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

5. According to Morrison's "Black Matter(s)," Gothic Romance is evidence of what feeling in the new nation?

Short Essay Questions

1. In “War Against Error," what does Morrison propose as a new "curriculum," and what does she hope it will accomplish?

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

3. In her "Sarah Lawrence Commencement Address,” how does Morrison define dreaming and why does she think it is important?

4. According to Morrison's “Women, Race, and Memory," what are the assumptions behind infighting among women?

5. In “Wartalk,” how does Morrison say that globalization differs from colonialism and internationalism?

6. In “The Habit of Art," why does Morrison allude to Antigone?

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

8. In “The Dead of September 11,” Morrison alludes to a famous speech. What speech does she allude to and what is the purpose of this allusion?

9. In “Tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr.," what does Morrison say that she wonders about MLK, and why?

10. In “Harlem on My Mind," what does Morrison point to as the causes of the failure of the New York Metropolitan Museum's 1968 exhibit on Harlem?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In "Grendel and His Mother," Morrison explains why Grendel's interior life and motivations do not matter in the context of the original work but do matter to modern audiences. Why does she believe this has changed over time, and what does this change say about changes in Western civilization?

Essay Topic 2

In "The Source of Self-Regard," Morrison discusses the image of a bit--a kind of torture device used to silence slaves. Explain how she incorporates this into Beloved--how she conveys the idea to the reader and why she makes the choices she does.

Essay Topic 3

In “Unspeakable Things Unspoken,” Morrison says that she almost used the title “Canon Fodder” instead. Analyze the impact that this change might have had on tone and meaning.

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