English 3 Test New African and Autobiographical Notes
Multiple Choice
Identify the letter of the choice that best completes the
statement or answers the question. All answers must be written on the lines provide, or it will
not be graded and marked incorrect
Comprehension
The questions below refer to the selection "Autobiographical
Notes."
____ 1. In the first part of "Autobiographical Notes,"
Baldwin describes his
a. | theories
regarding the purpose of life |
b. | fondness and aptitude for poetry |
c. | adventures
in the French countryside |
d. | early development as a writer |
____ 2. Baldwin states
that it is a writer’s duty to
a. | write
about patriotic or familial subjects |
b. | fight against governmental conspiracies |
c. | examine
attitudes in a deep, thoughtful manner |
d. | focus on a single important image in all writings |
____ 3. Baldwin guesses
that some of the influences on his writing are
a. | television,
detective novels, and sacred music |
b. | his father’s sermons, the works of Henry James, and sports |
c. | the
writing of Charles Dickens, the King James Bible, and African American speech |
d. | advertising, talk shows,
and action movies |
____ 4. Baldwin insists on perpetually criticizing America because he
a. | loves America more than any other country |
b. | has
been exiled because of his political activism |
c. | wants America to be more like France |
d. | thinks
America needs to be more like Africa |
____ 5. Which of the following words does not describe the tone of "Autobiographical
Notes"?
a. | reflective | c. | enraged |
b. | direct | d. | critical |
Extra Comprehension
The questions below refer to the selection "Autobiographical Notes."
____ 6. "Autobiographical Notes" is a good example of "new journalism" because it contains
a. | colorful characters | c. | personal
opinions |
b. | a suspenseful plot | d. | a hook of curiosity |
____ 7. The essay’s
principal subject can be summarized as
a. | the
difficulties of being black and a writer |
b. | the struggle to escape a father’s domination |
c. | a
writer’s search for happiness |
d. | finding the courage to abandon one’s native land |
____ 8. Baldwin felt
compelled to write about being black because
a. | his
readership was primarily black |
b. | he hated and feared discrimination |
c. | he
was a civil rights leader |
d. | self-examination is a writer’s business |
____ 9. Why, according
to Baldwin, does he never read the Bible as a child?
a. | His family did not own a Bible. |
b. | It was the only book he was encouraged
to read. |
c. | His father encouraged him to read other kinds of books. |
d. | He
already knew the Bible by heart from going to church. |
Reading Skills and Strategies: Using Study Strategies
The questions below refer to the selection "Autobiographical Notes."
____ 10. One of Baldwin’s main ideas is that
a. | he read to his siblings |
b. | writers are shaped
both by what helps and what hurts them |
c. | he had a fellowship when he was twenty-one |
d. | two
early books he wrote did not get published |
____ 11. To support his point that it is difficult to be an
African American writer, Baldwin says that
a. | traveling
is difficult |
b. | he is better accepted in Europe than in the United States |
c. | society
will not let Ralph Ellison write about life’s ambiguities |
d. | the problems for African
Americans are widely written about |
Comprehension
The questions below
refer to the selection "New African."
____ 12. "New African"
focuses primarily on
a. | community
spirit | c. | the civil rights movement |
b. | the rules of writing | d. | childhood memories |
____ 13. This story takes
place
a. | in the 1980s | c. | in
suburban Alabama |
b. | in the 1960s | d. | during an unusually warm autumn |
____ 14. During the church
service, Sarah feels restless because she
a. | is
bored and would rather be playing |
b. | has not eaten anything all day |
c. | plans
to be baptized soon and is impatient |
d. | quarreled with her brother earlier |
____ 15. Sarah’s
aunts
a. | are all schoolteachers |
b. | want
her to be baptized |
c. | disagree about whether she should be baptized |
d. | never
talk to Sarah about religion |
____ 16. The adult Sarah remembers her father as a
a. | stern and disapproving parent | c. | charismatic and affectionate
person |
b. | shy and retiring figure | d. | brilliant scholar |
Extra Comprehension
The questions below refer to the selection "New African."
____
17. On a hot summer Sunday, Sarah is attending a service at the New African Baptist Church, where her father is
a. | a candidate for baptism | c. | a
deacon |
b. | a member of the congregation | d. | the minister |
____ 18. At New African,
people receive baptism when they
a. | join
the church | c. | are children |
b. | hear the call | d. | reach adulthood |
____ 19. In teaching
their children religion, Sarah’s parents tend to be
a. | strict | c. | relaxed |
b. | fanatic | d. | negligent |
____ 20. Sarah’s
feelings about being baptized herself are
a. | undecided | c. | fearful |
b. | eager | d. | hostile |
____ 21. During the baptism
ceremony, Aunt Bessie tries to achieve baptism for Sarah by
a. | suggestion | c. | force |
b. | persuasion | d. | logic |
____ 22. As an adult,
Sarah believes that her father gave her an important gift of
a. | serenity | c. | freedom |
b. | financial security | d. | hope |
____ 23. Why don’t
Sarah’s parents punish her for fighting with Bessie?
a. | Sarah is an only child. | c. | They realize that Sarah is right. |
b. | Bessie
Gray is mean. | d. | They disapprove of religion. |
____ 24. During the struggle with
Bessie, Sarah is motivated by
a. | her
inner needs | c. | fear |
b. | mischievousness | d. | rage |
____ 25. In his treatment
of Sarah, Reverend Phillips can best be characterized as
a. | weak | c. | unfeeling |
b. | harsh | d. | wise |
____ 26. The story’s
resolution occurs when
a. | Sarah
is baptized | c. | Matthew leaves home |
b. | Sarah has grown up | d. | Sarah apologizes to
Bessie |
Reading Skills and Strategies: Interpreting a Character
The questions below refer
to the selection "New African."
____ 27. Reverend Phillips’s
freely admitting going to jail in Alabama signifies that he
a. | has no pride |
b. | wants to embarrass his daughter |
c. | is
pleased he now lives in Philadelphia |
d. | is proud of his role in the civil rights movement |
____ 28. Reverend Phillips’s
delight in starting debates at the dinner table indicates all of the following except that he
a. | enjoys winning an argument | c. | has
nothing to talk about at dinner |
b. | is a bright man | d. | takes delight in oratory |
Literary Element:
Internal Conflict
The questions below refer to the selection "New African."
____ 29. Which of the following statements best describes an internal conflict
that Sarah experiences?
a. | She
argues with Aunt Bessie over proper behavior. |
b. | She challenges her father’s insistence that she should go to
church. |
c. | She struggles to decide whether to build another treehouse. |
d. | She
considers whether she should become baptized. |
____ 30. Sarah knows her family would be happy if she were
baptized, but
a. | she
doesn’t feel called on to be baptized |
b. | she refuses to do so as revenge |
c. | no
one verbally encourages her to do so |
d. | she thinks that getting better grades in school is more important |
Matching
Vocabulary
Match the definition with the Word
to Own from the list. Write the letter of the Word to Own on the line provided.
Words
to Own
a. | censored | f. | pulverized |
b. | explicit | g. | coherent |
c. | assess | h. | conundrum |
d. | interloper | i. | appropriate |
e. | bleak | j. | crucial |
____
31. crushed; destroyed
____ 32. to
take over
____ 33. cheerless
____ 34. riddle
____ 35. clear, logical, and consistent
____ 36. cut or changed to remove material deemed objectionable
____ 37. clear; definite
____ 38. intruder
____
39. critical; decisive
____ 40. to
evaluate; judge the value of
Vocabulary
Match
the definition with the Word to Own from the list. Write the letter of the Word to Own on the line provided.
Words to Own
a. | sacrilege | f. | ambiguousness |
b. | sedate | g. | mortal |
c. | defiantly | h. | discreet |
d. | affected | i. | dispelling |
e. | wistfulness | j. | omniscient |
____
41. life-threatening; extreme
____
42. strongly resisting
____ 43. all-knowing
____ 44. wisely cautious
____ 45. lack of clarity; uncertainty
____ 46. calm and composed
____ 47. put on for show
____ 48. violation of something sacred
____ 49. vague longing
____
50. driving away
There will also be some questions regarding grammar and the
use of adjectives and possissive pronouns.
