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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. To what census was Johnson able to trace his family in Chapter 4?

2. When was Nanny's last grandchild and only granddaughter born?

3. Where did Matt and his cousins grow up?

4. In Lil' Rall's letter to Nanny, how old does he remember he was when she called and told him to be careful taking the train from work?

5. Where did Aunt Crystal work in Chapter 5?

Short Essay Questions

1. What salon did Johnson's mother have, and what was it like?

2. How are barbershops a staple of the Black community?

3. Who was Emmett Till?

4. In Chapter 4, how did Johnson feel about shooting a gun?

5. What did Nanny do when Aunt Cynthia called her a bitch over the phone?

6. Why was Nanny not arrested for punching Mrs. Todd?

7. Who was Nanny?

8. What did Justice remember that he and Nanny used to love?

9. What does Johnson say in the Author's Note about how Black boys are viewed?

10. What did Johnson learn when he traced his lineage and took a DNA test?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Interactions with white people could be unsafe. What are some examples of times when interactions with white people could be unsafe? What does white supremacy have to do with the hazards of Black and white interactions?

Essay Topic 2

Nanny used corporal punishment to discipline her grandsons. How did Nanny use corporal punishment? Why did Johnson believe punishment should not be the "primary form of 'justice' for bad choices" (47)?

Essay Topic 3

The author writes about how it was dangerous for Blacks to have guns—real or toy growing up. Why was it dangerous for Blacks to have guns?

(see the answer keys)

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