ENG/AFRI 340: MULTICULTURAL AMERICAN LITERATURE
FINAL SUM I 2010
NAME: 10 Points.
Section I. 30 Matching Items [3 Points Each = 90 Points]
I will supply a quotation, character, concept, or event, and you will place the letter of the
alphabet corresponding to the correct story or novel title in the blank preceding the item.
To assist you with the examination, a list of the stories and authors in the order in which
you read them for class will be projected on the screen at the front of the classroom.
Click here to see the list. You will receive the key copied below on a separate sheet of
paper and will use it to supply answers to the matching items. Since the exam covers
only 12 assigned texts, some titles will be the correct answer to more than one matching
item.
Stories and Novels for Matching Portion of the Final Examination
A. "American Horse" by Louise Erdrich
B. "Everyday Use" by Alice Walker
C. "Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri
D. "Legend of Miss Sasagawara, The" by Hisaye Yamamoto
E. "Lesson, The" by Toni Cade Bambara
F. "Moving Day, A" by Susan Nunes
G. "Power of Horses, The" by Elizabeth Cook-Lynn
H. "Seventeen Syllables" by Hisaye Yamamoto
I. "Sonny's Blues" by James Baldwin
J. "Tears of Autumn" by Yoshiko Uchida
K. "When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine" by Jhumpa Lahiri
L. "Woman Hollering Creek" by Sandra Cisneros
M. "Yellow Woman" by Leslie Marmon Silko
N. Dutchman by Amiri Baraka
O. Kindred by Octavia Butler
P. Namesake, The by Jhumpa Lahiri
Q. Zoo Story, The by Edward Albee
Here are a couple of sample matching questions to illustrate how the process works:
_____ 1. [She] hastily arranged a marriage with a young man of whom she knew...a
young man of simple mind, it was said, but of kindly heart.
_____ 2. When they found him, a little further down the path under the tree, he was
surrounded by a group of monkeys, over a dozen of them, pulling at his Tshirt with their long black fingers.
Section II. Essay Questions [100 Points Each = 200 Points].
Respond BOTH of the following essay topics by writing at least 3 pages of handwritten
text, depending on the size of your handwriting. The best answers will state a clear thesis
that establishes your focus for discussing the character, issue, or thematic concern in
question and then will proceed to defend that thesis by supplying and discussing specific
examples from the novels. I have listed central characters and general concerns discussed
in class for each novel, keeping the assignment as open as is possible. This provides you
with considerable freedom of choice, but also requires that you carefully narrow your
focus to a thematic concern, conflict, or character development that can be discussed
effectively in only 3 handwritten pages. Constructing a thesis that limits your concerns
and establishes a pattern of development for your short essay is crucial preparation for the
examination.
This is NOT a 4-5 page out-of-class essay, so you need to prepare your answer in
advance, including a list of the specific examples that you intend to use to support your
position.
YOU MAY USE THE NOVELS WHILE WRITING THIS PORTION OF THE EXAM.
YOU MAY ALSO WRITE YOUR THESIS STATEMENT AND SOME NOTES ON A
4 x 6 INDEX CARD FOR EACH SHORT ESSAY QUESTION. THAT IS, YOU MAY
BRING TWO 4 X 6 INDEX CARDS, ONE FOR EACH ESSAY QUESTION.
1. Demonstrate your familiarity with Octavia Butler’s Kindred by discussing one of the
following topics:
Kevin Franklin
Margaret Weylin
Rufus Weylin
Home
The Emotional Price of Empathy
A Disfigured Heritage
2. Discuss how one of the following characters or thematic concerns develops themes of
identity and assimilation. Of course, DuBois's notion of double consciousness [or
what we have defined as "twoness"] might help you to focus your address to one of
the characters.
Ashima Ganguli
Gogol/Nikhil Ganguli
Sonia Ganguli
Moushumi Mazoomdar
Naming
Chance/Coincidences