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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 excuse did the man on page 112 give for shooting the boy in the car?

2. The dead boy's mother channeled her anger into _____.

3. According to the author, this son has been cast into "a race in which the wind is always at your face and _____" what?

4. What threats were made against the author when his son was pushed off the escalator?

5. According to the author, what part of his body has suffered the most?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the significance of the author's description of the slave burial plot in southern Manhattan?

2. How does the author compare the flight of Abraham Brian to the fear of the modern black man?

3. What reasons does the author give for Prince Jones' behavior prior to his death?

4. What in the significance of the author's vision of Prince Jones in the museum?

5. According to the author, how is racism experienced through city planning and real estate?

6. How is the author disappointed by the lack of education during his Civil War battlefield tour?

7. What impact does the death of Prince Jones have on the author?

8. What reasons does the author give for the anger of the man who was having his home repossessed?

9. How does the author contrast black and white societies?

10. Why is the author's fear of his son seeing him arrested greater than his fear of being arrested?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

As Coates drives away from Dr. Jones' elegant home, he passes though a ghetto. What does this ghetto symbolize to the author? What similarities does he draw between black Americans of all socioeconomic classes? What conclusions can you draw about Coates' view of "The American Dream"?

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

Describe the different societal views of "The American Dream," or "The "Dream," as the author calls it. What are potential material, social and emotional advantages of living "The "Dream"? Why does Coates warn his son (and others) against the pursuit of "The Dream"?

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