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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. What poet inspired the author while at Howard University?

2. What did the author learn from television as a young boy?

3. As a child, what baffled the author about the nonviolent protests of the civil rights moment?

4. The author views the school systems and the streets as:

5. What field did the author pursue after he left Howard University?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does the author define the word "black"?

2. How does research and study affect the author as a young man?

3. What does the author mean when he asks: "How do I live free in this black body?"

4. According to the author, what is the purpose of the public school system?

5. What is meant by "Tolstoy is the Tolstoy of the Zulus?"

6. Why did the author's son experience such extreme grief when Michael Brown's killer was set free?

7. What is the author's interpretation of "The Dream"?

8. What conflicting thoughts does the author have about the civil rights movement of the 1960s?

9. How does the author use poetry to express his thoughts?

10. What is the symbolism behind the author's son's name?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Do Coates' words empower all black Americans? The author writes primarily about the experiences of black American men until the final section, where he interviews the mother of Prince Jones. Why might Coates have focused on the aspects of being a black man in America, as opposed to incorporating the struggle of the black woman as well? Since his memoir is an open letter to his son, why might he have made the decision to focus on the more masculine aspects of black America? Would the text have been as effective, or more effective, if he had incorporated more feminine experiences?

Essay Topic 2

Throughout history, defining oneself as Black was a matter of both appearance as well as culture. There were people who chose to define themselves as White/Caucasian as a means of improving their social status. Describe how the author defines “blackness” in current American society. How did his experiences with other people, such as the girl from California who had relatives in India, the girl with dreadlocks raised by a Jewish mother, and the Howard professor who was in an open marriage to a white woman affect his view of what it meant to be a Black person?

Essay Topic 3

Compare how the events of September 11, 2001 affected the author with how a majority of Americans reacted to the tragedy at the time. Did the attacks eventually unify or divide the nation? Did the author feel a part of that movement? Why or why not? In your opinion, does his opinion represent that of a majority of black Americans?

(see the answer keys)

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