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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. In becoming a successful Young Minister, the author describes his rivalry with whom, in "Down at the Cross"?

2. As the author describes growing up in Harlem in "Down at the Cross," he says, "In the same way that the girls were destined to gain as much weight as their mothers, the boys, it was clear, would" what?

3. What does the author say "catches up with kingdoms and crushes them" in "Down at the Cross"?

4. Who is quoted as having said "It is better to marry than to burn" in "Down at the Cross"?

5. When did Rudyard Kipling live?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does the author describe his religious faith to Elijah Muhammad in "Down at the Cross"?

2. What does the author point out as the failings of Christianity and Islam in "Down at the Cross"?

3. How does the author compare his involvement in ministry with the thugs on the Avenue in "Down at the Cross"?

4. What does the author remark about the Holocaust in "Down at the Cross"?

5. What hypocrisies in Christianity and the Nation of Islam does Baldwin point out in "Down at the Cross"?

6. What is the source of the author's anger and resentment toward his father?

7. How does the author describe his departure from Elijah Muhammad's home in "Down at the Cross"?

8. In the second section of "Down at the Cross," the author points out many reasons that American society is not healed in relation to race. How does he propose it might become healed?

9. Who was Elijah Muhammad? What was his role within the Nation of Islam?

10. What parallels does the author draw between Christianity and Islam in "Down at the Cross"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the theme of racial oppression in "My Dungeon Shook." How does the author illustrate examples of racial oppression? What are his opinions and perceptions of the oppression faced by black Americans? How does the author propose to overcome oppression?

Essay Topic 2

Describe and analyze the structure of "Down at the Cross." What is the thesis presented by the author in this essay? How does Baldwin go about proving his thesis? What is illustrated in the conclusion of the essay?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the theme of exploitation in "Down at the Cross." How does the author feel religions tend to exploit their followers? Does he believe this is true both in white society and in African American society? What are examples of the exploitation of the church?

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