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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 does Griggs know Richard?

2. What city does Alan move to?

3. What does Richard reason that an honest living would lead to?

4. Which of the following does Richard set fire to?

5. Whose propaganda are the newspapers full of?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Richard think about the popular contention that black people lead passionate, emotional lives?

2. What happens between the white security guard and Richard in Chapter 10?

3. Where does Richard first find his love for books?

4. What job does Richard find in Chapter 5?

5. How does Richard's boss respond when Richard tells him he was bitten by his dog?

6. What mistake does Granny make at the end of Chapter 4?

7. What does Richard eat for his meals in Jackson?

8. Why does Richard get baptized in Chapter 6?

9. How does Richard cut his ear?

10. How does Richard burn down his grandparents' house?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the connotations of the word "nigger."

1) What is its original meaning and what has it come to mean?

2) Why is it now considered so wrong to use?

3) Do you think the word has become too powerful?

Essay Topic 2

Identify the main themes of the book. Why do you think these themes are so important to the book? How does Wright use character and setting to express his themes?

Essay Topic 3

Examine black femininity.

1) In what did the whites oppress black femininity?

2) How did the white man's oppression of black femininity affect black women?

3) How have black women reacted to the oppression of their femininity?

(see the answer keys)

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