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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 Malcolm take to stop feeling nervous whilse robbing people's houses?

2. What does Malcolm notice about the white men he escorts into Harlem?

3. Which of the following characters is not a member of Malcolm's Boston gang?

4. Who does Malcolm say Sophia has now married?

5. Why do people think Malcolm is much older than he is?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Malcolm react to the idea he could be assassinated?

2. In what way are Malcolm's problems getting worse in Chapter 8?

3. What does Malcolm state are the differences in the concept of love between Western religions and Islam?

4. Why does Malcolm think hustling is preferable to a normal, straight life?

5. Why does Malcolm decide to take a course in English?

6. In ways does Malcom learn that thing are not always as they appear?

7. What does Malcolm learn about skin color from a young age?

8. Describe Malcolm's job with the madam?

9. What doe Malcolm learn about whites in Chapter 17?

10. What does Malcolm learn when he moves to Boston?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Look at the structure of the novel.

1) Discuss elements of the narrative structure: exposition, conflict, complication, climax, resolution and conclusion. Do all the elements make for a logical and linear story? How does the story's structure express the book's ideas?

2) Examine the way both Malcolm and Alex Haley use the other people in the story to express Malcolm's ideas.

Essay Topic 2

Look at the differences between Islam and Christianity. What are the strengths and weaknesses of both religions? How much do people in America know about the Islamic religion compared to Christianity? Do the students think that we need to understand other religions before we criticize them? Has this been a problem in the past?

Essay Topic 3

Look at black masculinity. Does the oppression of Malcolm's black male identity contribute to his criminal activities? In what ways can the expression of masculine identity be a positive thing and in what ways can it be negative? What do you think it means to be black and male today?

(see the answer keys)

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