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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What negative stereotype does the character Carmen Jones perpetuate?
(a) The stereotype of Negro women being the desire of white men's lust.
(b) The stereotype of light skinned Negroes being smarter than dark skinned Negroes.
(c) The stereotype of rampant sexuality.
(d) The stereotype of subservient Negro women.

2. Why is the cleanliness of the Carmen Jones movie set necessary for white audiences?
(a) The cleanliness makes white audiences view the black actors as equals.
(b) The cleanliness makes white audiences want to watch more Negro movies.
(c) The cleanliness makes white audiences more comfortable with the role of the lead male Negro.
(d) The cleanliness makes white audiences more comfortable with seeing Negroes in familiar situations.

3. What was the aim of the quartet groups like the Melodeers?
(a) To change Whites' views of Black music.
(b) To travel to other parts of the country.
(c) To make a livelihood from music.
(d) To sing at churches.

4. What stereotypical trait do the immoral and evil characters share in the film Carmen Jones?
(a) Coarse hair.
(b) Dark colored skin.
(c) Brown eyes.
(d) Overweight.

5. Who was the representative of the Progressive Party in Atlanta?
(a) Mrs. Dorothy Dandridge.
(b) Mr. Henry Wallace.
(c) Mrs. Frank Johnson.
(d) Mrs. Branson Price.

6. According to Baldwin, at what point does the making of an American begin?
(a) At the point that the person enters the country and adopts the venture of the adopted land.
(b) At the point where the individual rejects all other ties and history to other nations and receives their U.S. citizenship from the government.
(c) At the point where the individual reaches Ellis Island in New York.
(d) At the point where the individual rejects all other ties and history to other nations and adopts the venture of the adopted land.

7. What is dehumanization of the Negro inseparable from?
(a) The loss of Negroes to slavery.
(b) The loss of African American identity.
(c) The loss of our own identity.
(d) The loss of racial identity.

8. According to Baldwin, how does the book Native Son obliterate the good will of the people as a whole?
(a) The good will of the people is obliterated by the story that Negroes are always angry at white men.
(b) The good will of the people is obliterated by the story of hatred and the idea that Negroes can only become validated if they become more like white men.
(c) The good will of the people is obliterated by the story that stereotypical images share laudatory and heinous qualities with the best possible traits coming to the surface for white consumption.
(d) The good will of the people is obliterated by the story that white men only like subservient black men and women.

9. According to Baldwin, if black faces cannot be made white then what other way can they be changed in order to be less offensive to white society?
(a) White.
(b) Blank.
(c) Light.
(d) Clear.

10. How has Harlem changed since Baldwin's parents' lifetime?
(a) Not at all.
(b) Somewhat in the Jewish occupied areas.
(c) A great deal.
(d) Not much.

11. What newspaper rivaled the Amsterdam Star-News in the 1940s?
(a) The New York Times.
(b) The People's Voice.
(c) The Pittsburgh Courier.
(d) The Afro-American.

12. What does Baldwin say is the hatred symbol of Harlem?
(a) The Negro.
(b) The Jew.
(c) The Black man.
(d) The Mulatto.

13. What was the name of the establishment where the Melodeers ate their meals while in Atlanta?
(a) Red's Diner.
(b) Fraziers' Diner.
(c) Fraziers' Café.
(d) Hunter Street Café.

14. Where did the Melodeers ultimately end up rehearsing for their performances in Atlanta?
(a) A private home.
(b) YMCA.
(c) YWCA.
(d) A Negro motel.

15. What is the avowed aim of the American protest novel?
(a) To bring greater freedom to the oppressed.
(b) To bring Christianity to the oppressed.
(c) To bring greater charity to the oppressed.
(d) To bring the ideals of socialism to the oppressed.

Short Answer Questions

1. Where did the Melodeers room while in Atlanta?

2. How are the oppressed and oppressor described in the book, Notes of a Native Son?

3. How does Baldwin describe literature on the subject of the Negro in America when it is written by Blacks?

4. How is the Negro in America referred to in the chapter entitled Many Thousands Gone?

5. In what era did James Baldwin write Notes of a Native Son?

(see the answer keys)

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