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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 does Westrum use as evidence that the narrator is only trying to promote himself?

2. What does the narrator purchase in Chapter 13 that reminds him of home?

3. What apparent warning meets the narrator upon his return to Harlem

4. How does the Brotherhood regard the dolls Clifton had been selling?

5. What truth about the Brotherhood does the narrator realize in Chapter 20?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Brother Jack really want the narrator to avoid doing?

2. How does the narrator really feel about the gift of the chain from Brother Tarp?

3. What epiphany has the narrator experienced regarding his race?

4. Why does Brother Jack defend the narrator at this point?

5. Why do Dupre and his men choose a particular building to burn?

6. Why does the lady on the street become angry when he tries to put the figurine in the trash can?

7. How do we know at this point that the lobotomy has not been completely successful in changing the narrator's personality?

8. What puzzling irony does the narrator tell us about the human race?

9. Brother Jack refers to Clifton as Brutus? How does the metaphor fit the situation?

10. To what does Brother Tarp attribute the warning letter?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

On several different occasions, the narrator speaks directly to the reader, ending in his epilogue with "perhaps I speak for you...." Who do you think Ellison imagined as his most likely audience? If the various groups of people in the book could be allegorical representations of cultural groups--i.e. college administrators, blue collar employers, political party leaders, low income minority groups, etc.--what message would they perceive in the novel? Choose two or three different groups and tell how the story might speak to each of them.

Essay Topic 2

The narrator's grandfather tries to explain how he himself had failed the black people. What does the narrator initially not understand about the concept of "yessing" them to death? How does he eventually understand and adopt the idea? What conclusion does he finally draw about appearing to agree while actually plotting against someone?

Essay Topic 3

Early in the novel, the graduating black boys are deliberately used as cruel sport for the white men at a club. Norton is at the club with all the other white men. Norton does not care about the black boys any more than anyone else does. Therefore, what is his purpose at the college? Explain the things that Mr. Norton and Brother Jack have in common.

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