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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. How did the man who was evicted from his home react to the presence of the police?

2. How did the author feel when he strolled his young son through a traditionally white neighborhood?

3. What did the dead boy's mother say to the author's son in the chapter "The Dream"?

4. What does the author imagine white parents might tell their children?

5. Which protest sign did the author see while in France that reminded him of his blackness?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why did the thought of encountering the Prince George's County patrol officer frighten the author?

2. What does the author mean by every country having an "above" and a "below"?

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

4. What revelation does the author have about police officers and authority figures after the September 11 attacks?

5. What lesson does the mother of the boy on page 112 (Lucia McBath) try to impart to the author's son?

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

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

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

9. According to Coats, how have the American legal system and the banking industry conspired together to create the illusion known as "The Dream"?

10. According to the author, how do the behaviors of police departments reflect American values?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

Essay Topic 2

The author speaks often of a body that is easily broken. The theme of impending violence is an undercurrent that runs throughout the memoir. Is the author referring solely to physical violence or to a deeper emotional state of being? Based off of the author's observations, which might be more damaging in the long run - the threat of physical violence or a constant undercurrent of emotional upheaval?

Essay Topic 3

The author spends a great deal of time describing his Mecca, Howard University, as an escape from the fear that once plagued his life as a child on the streets of Baltimore. Keeping in mind that Howard is a private university that not every student can afford, what other Meccas might exist in America that could parallel the author's experience? Are there other places or experiences that could provide a similar bond of safety and community for the black student? If so, what? Is the author's Mecca a physical place or a state of mind? Explain your answer citing examples from the author's work.

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