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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. Why are LaJoe and Lafeyette waiting in a room at the detention center?

2. What does Lafeyette think about LaShawn?

3. How does Lafeyette cope with his stress?

4. What is the subject of the poem Craig had written that haunts Lafeyette?

5. Why does Vince Lane not start right away to clean up the basements?

Short Essay Questions

1. What are some of the improvements Vincent Lane is able to make in the projects?

2. Why is Lafeyette put in charge of the children and what is his behavior like?

3. What happens to Lafeyette and Pharoah in regard to their education?

4. What does Gwen Anderson tell the CHA about the basement?

5. Describe what Pharoah sees as the boys are eating their food outside the Main Street hot dog stand.

6. How does the judge make LaJoe feel after Lafeyette's hearing?

7. Describe the conflict between Lafeyette and Paul over the puppy Rickey gave him.

8. Why do LaJoe and Lafeyette back off from trying to stop the beating of a man by some Horner gang members?

9. What happens at the hearing in spite of Anne Rhodes' telling the judge she does not think Lafeyette is guilty?

10. Why does LaJoe's mother move out and how do the boys feel about her moving?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay about political and criminal abuse of the poor, the uneducated, and the elderly. Explain why these people are so vulnerable to scams and oppression. Compare the scam artists who bilked LaJoe out of her deposit money for a new house to the corrupt politicians who allowed the projects to fall victim of disrepair and lawlessness. Include examples of whole political systems which allow starvation and genocide to go on among their people.

Essay Topic 2

Beginning with the positive influence Diana Barone had on Pharoah, write an essay about a particular teacher who inspired and influenced you. Be specific about things that teacher said and did which inspired you to be better at something. Maybe it was not scholastic excellence but some other aspect of your life the teacher impacted.

Essay Topic 3

Write a paper on uniforms in gangs. Use Kotlowitz's description of the uniform identities of the Vice Lords. Compare that to uniforms adopted by schools, social institutions, and the military. Explain to what extent the purpose of the uniform is the same and to what extent it is different in these various organization.

(see the answer keys)

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