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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. According to Morrison's "Black Matter(s)," the slave population became the focus of what fundamental feeling of the colonists?
(a) The "outcast's terror."
(b) The "immigrant's hope."
(c) The "Romantic yearning for freedom."
(d) The "Pilgrim's awe and piety."

2. In "Women, Race, and Memory," Morrison blames what group for the oppression of women?
(a) Writers.
(b) The Christian church.
(c) Government.
(d) Other women.

3. Where does Morrison say we erroneously turn for answers to contemporary social problems?
(a) Literature.
(b) Religion.
(c) Science.
(d) The past.

4. In her "Sarah Lawrence Commencement Address," Morrison says that she is willing to talk about typical graduation topics like the future, responsibility, and goodness, but not what?
(a) Humility.
(b) Happiness.
(c) Ambition.
(d) Success.

5. In "The Slavebody and the Blackbody," what does Morrison call the "ghost in the machine"?
(a) The blackbody.
(b) Poverty.
(c) Racism.
(d) The slavebody.

6. In her "Sarah Lawrence Commencement Address," what irony is Morrison's discussion of "Feed the Children" campaigns intended to illustrate?
(a) Generosity towards the vulnerable turning to violence as soon as the vulnerable try to advocate for themselves.
(b) The easy manipulation of well-educated people by supposedly uneducated people.
(c) The desire of wealthy Americans to spread a culture that other nations cannot afford.
(d) Creative imagination being limited by our own wealth and power.

7. Morrison claims that after WWII, the language used to discuss war became more what?
(a) Persuasive and subtle.
(b) Elevated and heroic.
(c) Childish and simplistic.
(d) Propagandistic and angry.

8. In the story that opens "The Nobel Lecture in Literature," what do the children ask the old woman about?
(a) A baby.
(b) A bird.
(c) Love.
(d) Death.

9. 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 argue that history will always be cruel and inhumane.
(c) To compare the conquerors with the average citizen today.
(d) To illustrate the bloody history of wealth accumulation.

10. The Radiance of the King is a novel by Camara Laye, an author of what origin?
(a) European.
(b) North American.
(c) African.
(d) Asian.

11. "The War on Error" is a speech given to what group?
(a) ArtTable.
(b) The Newspaper Association of America.
(c) Amnesty International.
(d) Sarah Lawrence College.

12. Morrison compares the Africa of the Western imagination to what legendary monster?
(a) Leviathan.
(b) Grendel.
(c) The Sphinx.
(d) Medusa.

13. According to Morrison, identifying the race of a subject can have what unintended consequence?
(a) Better representation of marginalized communities.
(b) Inaccurately depicting race as "real" instead of as a "construct."
(c) Perpetuating stereotypes and marginalizing minorities.
(d) Shaping public perception of whiteness.

14. In "Literature and Public Life," what does Morrison say shapes our understanding of community?
(a) Literature from outside the canon.
(b) Government propaganda.
(c) The media, especially television.
(d) Literature from the canon.

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

Short Answer Questions

1. In "Moral Inhabitants," what is the list of American leaders meant to demonstrate?

2. In "Race Matters," Morrison says that she refuses to write in what voice?

3. In "The Price of Wealth, the Cost of Care," what does Morrison blame for diminishing our desire to care for others in modern times?

4. To whom does Morrison address her remarks about the dead of September 11, 2001?

5. In "The Future of Time," Morrison points to what two forces as responsible for our modern relationship to the future?

(see the answer keys)

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