View a FREE sample

This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through Section 6: Part II--God’s Language, including the essays “James Baldwin Eulogy” through “The Writer Before the Page”.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In "Tribute to Martin Luther King Jr.," what does Morrison say is MLK's legacy?
(a) He inspired young people to become civil rights leaders.
(b) He taught the world that religious faith must translate into social action.
(c) He provided the motivation for both Black and white Americans to tear down racial barriers.
(d) He made it a compelling and ordinary act to take personal responsibility for preventing social harm.

2. In "The Habit of Art," Morrison tells the anecdote about Antigone in Haiti to illustrate what point?
(a) Ancient Greek works are still relevant today.
(b) Art has real-world power.
(c) Acting in a play is therapeutic.
(d) Dictators try to crush artistic expression.

3. In "The Price of Wealth, the Cost of Care," why does Morrison include a list of colonial conquests?
(a) To question her audience's understanding of history.
(b) To illustrate the bloody history of wealth accumulation.
(c) To argue that history will always be cruel and inhumane.
(d) To compare the conquerors with the average citizen today.

4. In "The Writer Before the Page," Morrison explains what about the structure of her novels?
(a) She finds chapter and part designations unhelpful.
(b) She dislikes nonlinear narrative.
(c) She is frustrated when the parts feel fragmentary.
(d) She always begins with a careful outline.

5. In "The Slavebody and the Blackbody," Morrison says what about slavery?
(a) Writing about it can be cruel to modern African Americans.
(b) Slavery's consequences have been the same throughout history.
(c) Most modern Americans do not have any historic ties to slavery.
(d) It is an ancient practice that is not always tied to racism.

Short Answer Questions

1. In "Race Matters," Morrison compares race to what?

2. In "Black Matter(s)," what does Morrison say she means by "American Africanism"?

3. In "Black Matter(s)," Morrison speculates that slaves offered white Americans a sense of what?

4. In "The Writer Before the Page," what does Morrison say she avoids in her writing?

5. In "The Site of Memory," Morrison proposes to show how memoir is similar to and different from what?

(see the answer key)

This section contains 409 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample