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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 Nobel Lecture in Literature," What does Morrison refer to with the phrase "tongue-suicide"?

2. "The War on Error" is a speech given to what group?

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

4. In "Literature and Public Life," Morrison says that we live in the age of what?

5. In "The Habit of Art," Morrison praises the artist Toby Lewis for what?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What current problems with arts funding does Morrison identify in “Arts Advocacy”?

3. 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?

4. Explain how, according to Morrison's "Wartalk," the language around war has changed and when these changes occurred.

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

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

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

8. In “The Nobel Lecture in Literature," what is the story that Morrison uses to frame her speech?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

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 3

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.

(see the answer keys)

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