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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 "Goodbye to All That," Morrison opens with an anecdote about asking an interviewer to omit all questions about what?
2. In "The Source of Self-Regard," which two of her works does Morrison chiefly discuss?
3. In "Academic Whispers," Morrison compares African American literature to what?
4. In "The Site of Memory," what tactic does Morrison point out in slave narratives?
5. In "Memory, Creation, and Fiction," what does Morrison say about basing characters on people she knows well?
Short Essay Questions
1. In “Gertrude Stein and the Difference She Makes," Morrison says that the two responses to chaos are "renaming" and "violence." What does she mean by this?
2. According to “The Writer Before the Page," what is the relationship between Hannah Peace and Sula?
3. In “Introduction of Peter Sellars," what are the main points of Morrison's praise for Peter Sellars as an artist?
4. In “The Source of Self-Regard," what does Morrison say made her uncomfortable about the letters she received from students, and why did it make her feel this way?
5. In “The Site of Memory," what does Morrison say about how image and memory interacted for her in relation to her father's death and Song of Solomon?
6. In “Faulkner and Women," what does Morrison say Faulkner's influence on her has been?
7. In “Grendel and His Mother," what does Morrison say is interesting about the Danes' reaction to Grendel, and what does she say this shows about the nature of evil?
8. In “Gertrude Stein and the Difference She Makes," what confuses Morrison about Stein's portrayal of Rose?
9. In “James Baldwin Eulogy,” Morrison explains that Baldwin brought "three gifts." What is this an allusion to, and how does it function in this piece?
10. In “The Site of Memory," what reasons does Morrison give for finding her inclusion in an anthology about memoir to be both strange and appropriate?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
In "Rememory," Morrison discusses the different public perceptions of Black and white artists. What are the differences she sees? Do you think that this is still true today? Give examples from literature, film, music, or the visual arts to support your claims.
Essay Topic 2
In “Gertrude Stein and the Difference She Makes,” Morrison offers a critique of the relationship of Mark Twain, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Herman Melville, and Edgar Allan Poe to the natural world. Explain the basis of her critique and evaluate the strength of the evidence she offers in her discussion of each author.
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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This section contains 973 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) |
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