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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. Which of the following does Polaire give Tyrod?

2. As which of the following does Franklin dress at Octavia’s mansion?

3. To which of the following does the narrator compare the Tiko?

4. To which of the following does the narrator compare the shareholders at Octavia’s mansion?

5. Which of the following does the narrator report as the mascot of the team that defeated his in high school?

Short Essay Questions

1. What incident leads to the acknowledgement that Nigel is the best cook among himself, Penny, and the narrator?

2. What functions in the community does the narrator ascribe to the Chicken Coop?

3. What reason does the narrator give for misliking going to court, despite his skill therein?

4. What reasons does the narrator express for seeking Jo Jo’s help with Octavia’s campaign?

5. What prompts Nigel’s retreat into the art-supply closet at his school?

6. How does the narrator describe Pavor when he first appears in the narrative?

7. How does the narrator report that Dinah pranked him early in her career?

8. How does the narrator explain the makeup of his company’s diversity committee?

9. What signs of shabbiness does the narrator note about the Tiko?

10. What after-school activities is Nigel involved in at the beginning of the novel?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What purpose is served by the scene in which the narrator, Penny, and Nigel tour Shanksted Plantation, just before Nigel goes missing (50-54)? What in the text and experience indicates that purpose? How does it do so?

Essay Topic 2

Explicate the following passage (93):

We passed an open unit where tidy-looking white people in business casual clothing sat upright on a couch. One man, his hair neatly parted, loosely lolled his head. The women on either side of him were zonked out also. One of the boys from the hallway checked his device clock and stepped into the unit. The Tiko was a good place to find your jollies for those with free right-of-access. Fly in from out of town. Stop at the Tiko for a tune-up and make your noon meeting with time to spare.

Essay Topic 3

Sources attest to the presence of We Cast a Shadow on bestseller lists. Assuming that sales figures reflect popularity, what accounts for the popularity of Ruffin’s novel? How does it do so?

(see the answer keys)

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