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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 story that opens "The Nobel Lecture in Literature," where does the old woman say the answer to the children's question is?

2. In "Race Matters," Morrison says that she refuses to write in what voice?

3. Mass migration, according to Morrison, causes what to happen?

4. In "Women, Race, and Memory," Morrison divides women into three groups: feminists, anti-feminists, and whom?

5. In the story that opens "The Nobel Lecture in Literature," what do the children ask the old woman about?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. 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?

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

4. In “Tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr.," what are the things that Morrison says Dr. King believed in?

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

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

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

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

10. 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?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

In “A Race in Mind: The Press in Deed,” Morrison introduced the motif of minstrelsy that will recur throughout her work. What is minstrelsy, and how does it relate to the ideas she explores of the “self” and the “other”?

Essay Topic 3

In “Black Matter(s),” Morrison argues that American literature and “Americanness” have been shaped by the slave trade and by racism against Black Americans. Explain how she supports this claim and then evaluate the strength or weakness of her argument.

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