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

2. Where do Mary and Jan sit in the car?
(a) The don't, they walk.
(b) In the back seat.
(c) The sit in the front and ask Bigger to sit in the back.
(d) In the front seat with Bigger.

3. When Peggy gives Bigger dinner, what other job does she tell Bigger he must do?
(a) He will also take care of the furnace.
(b) He will help her in the kitchen.
(c) He will also wash window.
(d) He will also do lawn work.

4. After they leave the movie and go to the pool hall, what does Bigger do?
(a) He says he wants to break into the Dalton home instead of Blum's Delicatessin.
(b) He picks a fight with the owner of the pool hall then stabs Gus.
(c) Gets in a fight with Gus then breaks a bottle and cuts the felt top of the pool table.
(d) Gets in a fight with Gus, then slices the felt top of the pool table with his knife.

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

Short Answer Questions

1. Why is Bigger afraid of being caught in Mary's bedroom?

2. What does Bigger daydream about during the second movie?

3. What happens when Bigger puts Mary's body in the trunk?

4. Who does Bigger see when he, Mary and Jan enter the restaurant?

5. When Mrs. Dalton speaks to Bigger in the kitchen, what surprises him about her?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Why did Bigger want to kill the cat?

3. After all the gory details of the way he disposed of Mary's body, how was Bigger reacting?

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

5. Explain the game, "White," that Bigger and his friends played.

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

7. How does Bigger feel about his family?

8. Why did Bigger decide to put Mary's body in the trunk?

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

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

(see the answer keys)

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