View a FREE sample

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

Short Answer Questions

1. In "Black Matter(s)," Morrison says that immigration from the Old World to the New World is usually seen as what?

2. In "Black Matter(s)," what does Morrison say she means by "American Africanism"?

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

4. According to Morrison, identifying the race of a subject can have what unintended consequence?

5. What does Morrison praise the National Endowment for the Arts for in "The Individual Artist"?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

4. 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?

5. In “Racism and Fascism,” what does Morrison say are the characteristics of fascism?

6. In “Literature and Public Life," what does Morrison blame television for, and what does she propose as a solution?

7. 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?

8. In “The Individual Artist," what is the paradox that Morrison says artists face?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In “Race Matters,” Morrison tries to illustrate her main point with brief analyses of her own works. Summarize what she has to say about her own works and then evaluate how successful she is in accomplishing her goal in offering these analyses.

Essay Topic 2

In “The Nobel Lecture in Literature,” Morrison uses a folktale to structure her lecture. Explain how she interprets and then reinterprets this folktale.

Essay Topic 3

In “Literature and Public Life,” Morrison claims that television has a narrative power that is harmful to society. Do you agree with this in whole or in part, or do you disagree? What is your reasoning for your position?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 895 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample