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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Why is Bigger afraid of being caught in Mary's bedroom?
(a) He already has a girlfriend who is jealous
(b) He doesn't want to lose his job
(c) He is black and she is white
(d) He isn't afraid of anything

2. What happens when Bigger puts Mary's body in the trunk?
(a) It doesn't fit so he rolls her in a carpet.
(b) It doesn't fit so he sits on the lid until he can close it.
(c) It doesn't fit so he has to cut her limbs off.
(d) It doesn't fit so he has to force it inside.

3. What two words best describe Bigger in this opening part of the novel?
(a) Hopeless and Fun-loving
(b) Pessimistic and Angry
(c) Helpless and Strong
(d) Angry and Joker

4. Where does Mrs. Thomas say Bigger will end up if he doesn't straighten out his life?
(a) The gallows
(b) In jail
(c) Living on the street
(d) In foster care

5. What does Bigger daydream about during the second movie?
(a) Learning how to overcome race barriers.
(b) Learning the secret to "Getting hold of money."
(c) Moving out of the ghetto and into the country.
(d) Learning how to invest money and make it grow.

Short Answer Questions

1. Where does Mary suggest she, Jan and Bigger go to eat?

2. After Bigger threatens Gus, who prevents him from attacking the other man?

3. How does Bigger feel when he enters the Dalton home for the very first time?

4. Where does Bigger have a job interview?

5. Tell whom the lone witness to Bigger's crime is?

Short Essay Questions

1. After Bigger realized Mary was dead, why didn't he even consider just telling the truth?

2. Why does Bigger panic when Mrs. Dalton enters Mary's room while he is in there?

3. How does Bigger really feel about holding up Blum's Delicatessen?

4. Describe Bigger's home.

5. What happened when Mary's body didn't fit into the furnace?

6. Why did Bigger help Mary to her room instead of waking her parents and letting them know her drunken condition?

7. What did he find outside near the car on the night of Mary's death, and what did he do with it?

8. What is the symbolism of the two movies Bigger and his friends saw?

9. What were Bigger's two final concerns about the burning body?

10. What was the story Bigger planned to tell when he returned in the morning?

(see the answer keys)

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