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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 movie does the author recommend the reader see in "Among the Rewards of My Sloth..."?

2. Where is the author's house that he describes in "Among the Rewards of My Sloth..."?

3. What was the first day the author skipped in writing an essay, according to his narrative in "Blowing it Off"?

4. What birthday is the author describing experiencing in "My Birthday, Kinda"?

5. Who wrote New Jim Crow?

Short Essay Questions

1. What microaggression does the author describe experiencing in "Microgentrification: WE BUY GOLD"?

2. What attributes to inefficiency does the author declare in "Inefficiency"?

3. How would you describe the narrative style in "My Birthday, Kinda"?

4. What is the central symbol in "Infinity"? What does it represent?

5. Who was Vertus Hardiman and why is he discussed in "Hole in the Head"?

6. What song is discussed in "Donny Hathaway on Pandora"? What is the subject of the song?

7. What delights are described by the author in "Among the Rewards of My Sloth..."?

8. What does the word "negreeting" refer to in "The Negreeting"?

9. What animal is described in "Not Only..."? Where is it described?

10. How does the author describe his audience in "Weirdly Untitled"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the connections between human touch, connection, and delight. In what essays from the collection does the author discuss human touch? How does he perceive it? Why is connection important to the author?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the education and career of author Ross Gay. Where did Gay grow up? Where did he attend college? What did he study? What works has he published prior to The Book of Delights?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the author's language style in The Book of Delights. How does the language flow? Does the author employ assonance, alliteration, or onomatopoeia? Is there a rhythm to the prose?

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