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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 the narrator notice at the funeral that he would like to exploit?

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

3. The narrator's anger is primarily focuses against

4. What does Brother Tarp give the narrator in Chapter 18?

5. What fault does Emma find with the narrator?

Short Essay Questions

1. What was the narrator's real problem, and how has he settled it?

2. Explain the irony of the figurine owned by Mary.

3. Why does Jack become angry with the man who asks the narrator to sing a "spiritual"?

4. Why is the narrator's funeral oration more moving than if he had planned a speech based according to party guidelines?

5. What is the primary problem with the instructions given to the narrator to gather more members?

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

7. Explain the initial results of the narrator's strategy of "yessing" them to death.

8. What strikes the narrator as the profound truth about the riot?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the women in the novel: Mary, Emma, Sybil, the nuns, and the white woman at the rally. What role do the women play in the narrator's development?

Essay Topic 2

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.

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

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