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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 is the name of the dean at Nigel’s school?

2. To which of the following does Nigel compare the fabric in the trees at Shanksted?

3. To which of the following does the narrator compare Dred Douglas?

4. For which of the following number of hours does the narrator note expecting a bonus?

5. Which of the following is the number of bedrooms the narrator, Penny, and Nigel have in their suite at Shanksted?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Jo Jo describe Polaire to the narrator when he first meets her?

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

3. What inspirations does the narrator cite for his dancing at Octavia’s mansion?

4. What expenses does the narrator note complicate securing Nigel’s procedure?

5. What attractions does the narrator note Shanksted offers?

6. What options does the narrator outline for answering a question about his opinion as “the onliest black guy in the room” (8)?

7. What reasons does the narrator give for having distanced himself from Supercargo?

8. What problems does the narrator note in the Shanksted map?

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

10. What does the narrator recall of Tyrod’s life with his son?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

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

The narrator remarks that “we lawyers are conservative creatures. Fly me a sheet of paper over an electrical current. Watch me convert it into paper” (209). What in the novel and in experience supports the remark? How does it do so?

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