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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What kind of radio does Ellison have?
(a) Wooden American Minder with glass tubes.
(b) Old Philco AM with Pilot FM tuner.
(c) Plastic transistor radio.
(d) Old Nelson AM with Riddle FM tuner.

2. How does Ellison define the "understanding of art?"
(a) Created by the whims of the culture at the time.
(b) Depending upon one's willingness to extend one's humanity.
(c) Limited to a very few elite patrons.
(d) It is not to be understood, only felt.

3. Who painted the mural that is displayed above Minton's bandstand?
(a) Charles Graham.
(b) Paul Cezanne.
(c) Ralph Ellison.
(d) Anonymous W.P.A. worker.

4. What does Charlie Christian play when he was a young child?
(a) Oil drum.
(b) Plastic trumpet.
(c) Cigar box banjo.
(d) Tin fiddle.

5. Who lives above Ellison?
(a) Diligent classical singer.
(b) Judo training facility.
(c) Tap dancer.
(d) Exercise club.

6. Who is Charlie Christian?
(a) Greatest jazz guitarist.
(b) Innovative drummer.
(c) Highest paid night club singer.
(d) Haunting blues trumpeter.

7. What street is Minton's on?
(a) 1st Avenue.
(b) 11th Avenue.
(c) Broadway.
(d) 118th Street.

8. What do people eat at Minton's?
(a) Hamburgers and hot dogs.
(b) Peanuts and beer.
(c) Caviar, champagne and escargot.
(d) Fried chicken, hash, grits, biscuits and hot rolls.

9. Does Ellison have "Invisible Man" completely thought out prior to writing it?
(a) Yes, the conceptual framework was in place.
(b) No, he just wrote as it came to him.
(c) Partly, he knew what the ending would be, but that was all.
(d) Ellison refuses to discuss his writing method.

10. What Hotel is Minton's part of?
(a) Hotel Cecil.
(b) Hotel Plaza.
(c) Hotel Barbero.
(d) Hotel LaGrand.

11. What is Ellison's reaction to the term "Negro culture?"
(a) Highest type of culture.
(b) It is the world he longs to be in.
(c) The term is so vague as to be meaningless.
(d) Past and gone from sight.

12. What falls on Ellison and his wife while they sleep?
(a) Tape machine.
(b) Ceiling.
(c) Drum set.
(d) Box of books.

13. What is unique about "The Way It Is" compared to the other essays?
(a) Has no humor.
(b) Written as a narrative story.
(c) Focuses on Negro persons.
(d) Recommends communism.

14. What kind of bird does Ellison say Parker is?
(a) Haunting Vulture.
(b) Silly Turkey.
(c) Sad Crow.
(d) Poor Robin.

15. What does Jones analyze "bop" as?
(a) Conscious gesture of separation.
(b) Misguided anger towards society.
(c) Cultivated blues disguised as popular culture.
(d) Attempt to circumvent critics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who are the two main characters in "Intruder in the Dust?"

2. Why are slaves able to express themselves in art?

3. Where is the Lafargue Psychiatric Clinic?

4. Where does Charlie Parker die?

5. What institutions does Minton's evolve out of?

(see the answer keys)

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