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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 "Academic Whispers," who does Morrison say should be asked to speak about racism?
2. In "Faulkner and Women," what does Morrison call the character of Sula?
3. In "Hard, True, and Lasting," Morrison says that she can tolerate being alienated from the dominant culture because she knows what?
4. In "Gertrude Stein and the Difference She Makes," Morrison proposes that the third response to chaos is what?
5. In "Tribute to Romare Bearden," Morrison notes what about African American visual art?
Short Essay Questions
1. In “The Source of Self-Regard," what does Morrison describe as some of the contradictions that jazz contains?
2. In “Rememory," Morrison describes her writing process using memory and explains how it is similar to a thematic and narrative element in one of her books. What is her process, and which book's narrative does she see it reflected in.
3. In “Invisible Ink," Morrison proposes that current ways of thinking about the interaction between reader and text are missing an element: the "invisible ink" that can manipulate the reader. Explain what she means by this.
4. In “Unspeakable Things Unspoken," what does Morrison say she is trying to evoke with the image of nightshade in the beginning of Sula?
5. 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?
6. In “The Trouble with Paradise" what reasons does Morrison give for leaving the racial identification of those in the Convent ambiguous?
7. In “God’s Language," what does Morrison say is the problem with trying to use modern language to describe Biblical concepts?
8. 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?
9. In “Tribute to Romare Bearden," Morrison praises Bearden's work as a dialogue between artists; how does she see his work impacting her own?
10. In “Gertrude Stein and the Difference She Makes," what confuses Morrison about Stein's portrayal of Rose?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
In “Women, Race, and Memory,” Morrison evokes the figure of Harriet Tubman. Who is Harriet Tubman, and what associations does Morrison hope to create by telling an anecdote about her?
Essay Topic 2
In Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, when he says, “The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here,” he is referring to the importance of his own speech versus the significance of the dead of the Battle of Gettysburg. Explain at least three similarities in tone and/or content to Morrison’s “The Dead of September 11.”
Essay Topic 3
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?
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This section contains 997 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) |
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