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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 "Unspeakable Things Unspoken," Morrison says that she sees a reflection of African-American cultural traditions in what form of literature?

2. In "Introduction to Peter Sellars," Morrison says that Sellars wanted what kind of introduction?

3. In "Chinua Achebe," Morrison says that she learned what from Achebe?

4. In "The Writer Before the Page," what does Morrison say she avoids in her writing?

5. In "God's Language," what does Morrison say seems more true the longer she writes?

Short Essay Questions

1. In “James Baldwin Eulogy,” what does Morrison describe as Baldwin's contribution to language?

2. In “The Trouble with Paradise" what reasons does Morrison give for leaving the racial identification of those in the Convent ambiguous?

3. 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?

4. In “Academic Whispers," what does Morrison say used to annoy her about being asked to speak about racism?

5. In “Gertrude Stein and the Difference She Makes," what confuses Morrison about Stein's portrayal of Rose?

6. According to “The Writer Before the Page," what is the relationship between Hannah Peace and Sula?

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 “Memory, Creation, and Fiction," what Black cultural aesthetic expectations does Morrison discuss as important in her work, and why is it important to her to use them?

9. 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?

10. In “Invisible Ink," what does Morrison say bothers her about the association of the word "pleasure" with reading?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In "God's Language," Morrison suggests that religious ideas, and the idea of paradise particularly, are difficult to convey in a modern context. Why does she believe this and what is her proposed solution?

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 "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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