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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 PaPaLaBas say men will turn to before the end of the century?

2. Where do Berbelang and his gang take Biff Musclewhite?

3. How does Reed characterize the outbreak of Jes Grew?

4. How has Thor tried to be trusted?

5. Who does James Weldon Johnson say the Jes Grew belongs to?

Short Essay Questions

1. What accusation does Yellow Jack make to Berbelang?

2. What definitions of the Jes Grew are offered at the beginning of Mumbo Jumbo?

3. What is the status of The Text?

4. Under what conditions does Hinkle Von Vampton agree to stamp out the Jes Grew?

5. How does Charlotte’s predicament get resolved?

6. What critique does Abdul Hamid make of PaPaLaBas?

7. Describe Buddy Jackson’s cabaret.

8. Why does Woodrow Wilson Jefferson leave for New York?

9. What affliction is PaPaLaBas trying to relieve the blacks of in North America?

10. What changes does Peter Pick recommend for the Plantation House scene?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In Chapter 13, Abdul says that he put together his education like a quilt, “a patch of knowledge here a patch there but lovingly knitted.” (p. 37). Is this the best metaphor for the storytelling of Mumbo Jumbo, or does the novel provide a better explanation of its technique? Explain why this or another explanation is the most fitting metaphor for the book’s construction.

Essay Topic 2

Where is the climax of this book? Are there different climaxes? What questions does each climax resolve? What questions does each climax leave unanswered?

Essay Topic 3

What would it mean to ‘write down the dance,’ in Mumbo Jumbo? What efforts are made, to record the gestures of the Jes Grew, and why does dancing elude and representation? How does Ishmael Reed address the irony of writing a novel about a dance that cannot be recorded?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 832 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample