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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. Of what does the opening scene remind Lorene?

2. What does Lorene feel about the other white students?

3. How has Lorene maintained her ties to St. Paul's?

4. Who is Mr. Dick?

5. What part of the interview surprised Lorene?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Lorene say she is writing her story?

2. By what was Lorene's mother shocked at the meet and greet?

3. Who are the wombats and what is their role in the novel?

4. How does Lorene say St. Paul's affected her life?

5. In what way does Lorene say that St. Paul's was similar to American culture?

6. Describe Lorene's experience of the Afro-Am.

7. Why is Lorene's mother furious when Lorene brings a Puerto Rican boy over?

8. Describe Lorene's relation with white girls.

9. What warning did Lorene get in a dream?

10. When is the last chapter set?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In the end of Black Ice, Lorene is described as a trailblazer. What trail does she blaze, and what path does she leave behind her? For whom in particular does she blaze this path?

Essay Topic 2

Evaluate your own reading of Black Ice--did you resist it, or were you compelled by the story? What does your reading tell you about yourself and your interests? Use specific examples from the book to describe yourself as a reader.

Essay Topic 3

Black Ice can be read as an allegory for American culture, with its tension between black and white cultures. What does Black Ice say about how blacks and whites relate? What main problems does it identify, and how does it propose to solve those problems?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 649 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample