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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. In "The Slavebody and the Blackbody," what does Morrison call the "ghost in the machine"?

2. In "Black Matter(s)," Morrison says that we can understand something important about literary "whiteness" by studying what?

3. What is it that Morrison says distinguishes globalism from previous movements?

4. In "A Race in Mind," Morrison asks for more thoughtful work from what group?

5. According to Morrison's "Black Matter(s)," the slave population became the focus of what fundamental feeling of the colonists?

Short Essay Questions

1. In “The Individual Artist," what does Morrison say is the unique value of the National Endowment for the Arts?

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

3. In “The Nobel Lecture in Literature," Morrison explains why oppressive language is a problem: what effects does she claim it has?

4. 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?

5. In “Race Matters," why does Morrison say that she decided she needed a "home" and not just a "house"?

6. In “The Foreigner’s Home,” what point is Morrison making with her discussion of The Radiance of the King?

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

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

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 "On Beloved," Morrison offers a metaphorical comparison between an image or piece of language and a key, and compares untraveled literary territory to an area locked behind a large locked door. Explain what she means by this comparison and how it relates to her writing of Beloved.

Essay Topic 2

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.

Essay Topic 3

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?

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