86 pages • 2 hours read
Ralph EllisonA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Multiple Choice and Long Answer questions create ideal opportunities for whole-book review, unit exam, or summative assessments.
Multiple Choice
1. Which of the following best describes how the protagonist was affected by the death of his grandfather?
A) He is mournful after seeing his only family member die before he learned how to survive in a world that oppresses him.
B) He is grateful that his grandfather imparted wisdom that would guide him for the rest of his life.
C) He is troubled by his own behavior and appeasement of white people after his grandfather says that he was too complicit in White oppression.
D) He is sad that he must now go into the world alone but must persevere as his grandfather did.
2. What is symbolic about the coins the African American boys retrieve at the start of the novel?
A) They represent payment for entertainment, illustrating the roles that white people see people of color as fulfilling in this novel
B) They symbolize how the “rewards” that white men give to Black individuals are useless since the coins turn out to be brass instead of gold.
C) They illustrate how the boys will have to choose between humiliating themselves and getting rewarded or maintaining their pride and going hungry.
D) They suggest that everything has a price, and the protagonist in the novel has to determine what his price is for what he is willing to do to survive.
By Ralph Ellison