Name _____________________________________________________________
“Sonny’s Blues“ Quiz
Date ______________
Pd ________________
YOU MUST ANSWER 30 POINTS WORTH OF QUESTIONS. NO BONUS
POINTS WILL BE AWARDED FOR ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS ANSWERED.
PART I: Character Identification (1 point each)
Directions: Write the name of the character that said each quote below. Names will be used more
than once.
Mother
Father
Creole
Sonny
The Speaker
___________________________ “Safe! Safe, hell! Ain’t no place safe for kids, nor nobody.”
___________________________ “Your daddy never did really get right again. Till the day he died, he weren’t
sure but that every white man he saw was the man that killed his brother.”
___________________________ “I think people ought to do what they want to do. What else are they alive
for?”
___________________________ “You got a real musician in your family.”
___________________________ “All that hatred and misery and love. It’s a wonder it doesn’t blow the whole
avenue apart.”
___________________________ “It struck me all of a sudden how much suffering she must have had to go
through—to sing like that. It’s repulsive to think you have to suffer that much.”
___________________________ “You’re getting to be a big boy. It’s time you started thinking about your
future.”
___________________________ “I hear you. But you never hear anything I say.”
___________________________ “I won’t forget. I won’t let nothing happen to Sonny.”
Name _____________________________________________________________
“Sonny’s Blues“ Quiz
Date ______________
Pd ________________
PART II: Multiple Choice (2 points each)
Directions: Read each question and write the letter of the BEST answer on the line. Please do not
circle your answers!
________ 1. Read the quotes from the story.
1: “Well, the word had never before sounded as heavy, as real, as it sounded that afternoon in
Sonny's mouth. I just looked at him and I was probably frowning a real frown by this time. I
simply couldn't see why on earth he'd want to spend his time hanging around nightclubs,
clowning around on bandstands, while people pushed each other around a dance floor. It
seemed—beneath him, somehow.”
2: “ … some were there to hear Sonny play. I was introduced to all of them and they were all
very polite to me. Yet, it was clear that, for them I was only Sonny's brother. Here, I was in
Sonny's world. Or, rather: his kingdom. Here, it was not even a question that his veins bore
royal blood.”
These quotes demonstrate that the speaker would best be described as…
A.
B.
C.
D.
Static
Overly emotional
Dynamic
Guilty
________ 2. Read the quote from the story.
“There was a long pause, while they talked up there in the indigo light and after awhile I saw
the girl put a Scotch and milk on top of the piano for Sonny.”
A.
B.
C.
D.
The Scotch and milk …
Allows the reader to infer that Sonny will most likely substitute his heroin addiction for
alcoholism.
Symbolizes the mixture of the poison of addiction and the nurture of music.
Represents the different personalities of the brothers.
Serves as a contrast to the indigo light, drawing the reader’s attention to light and dark
imagery.
________ 3. The quote below characterizes Sonny as …
“It was as though Sonny were some sort of god, or monster. He moved in an atmosphere which
wasn't like theirs at all. They fed him and he ate, he washed himself, he walked in and out of their
door; he certainly wasn't nasty or unpleasant or rude. Sonny isn't any of those things; but it was as
though he were all wrapped up in some cloud, some fire, some vision all his own; and there wasn't
any way to reach him.”
A.
B.
C.
D.
An outcast or alien among his extended family members.
A spiritual man who has visions.
A horrible drug addict, whose behavior is like that of a monster.
A musician so talented his skill is godlike.
________ 4. Read the quote.
“It struck me all of a sudden how much suffering she must have had to go through—to sing like
that.”
Based on the quote, the reader can infer…
A.
B.
C.
D.
Sonny has romantic feelings for the woman singing.
Sonny wants to help the woman overcome her drug problem.
Religious revival music makes Sonny depressed.
Sonny believes suffering is necessary to produce good music.
PART III: Deconstructing Text (4 points each)
1. “…I saw the girl put a Scotch and milk on top of the piano for Sonny. He didn't seem to notice
it, but just before they started playing again, he sipped from it and looked toward me, and
nodded. Then he put it back on top of the piano. For me, then, as they began to play again, it
glowed and shook above my brother's head like the very cup of trembling.”
A. Identify and explain the allusion (2 pts.)
B. Explain the author’s purpose for constructing this allusion (2 pts.)
2. "You decided it," he pointed out. "I didn't decide nothing." He stopped in front of me, leaning
against the stove, arms loosely folded. "Look, brother. I don't want to stay in Harlem no more, I
really don't." He was very earnest. He looked at me, then over toward the kitchen window.
There was something in his eyes I'd never seen before, some thoughtfulness, some worry all
his own. He rubbed the muscle of one arm. "It's time I was getting out of here."
A. Make an inference based on this text and explain how you arrived at your conclusion.
(Mark the text you used to make your inference). (2 pts.)
B. Identify imagery and explain how it relates to the speaker’s guilt (2 pts.)
PART IV: Short Answer (5 points each)
Directions: Answer each question with a paragraph. YOU MUST USE TEXT!!!
1. How is the relationship between the mother and father similar to the relationship between Sonny
and the speaker? (5 points)
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2. What did the speaker’s mother insist that he do for Sonny? How did her advice prove to be correct?
(5 points)
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3. Is Sonny a static or dynamic character? How do you know? (5 points)
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PART V: Essay
STUDENTS WHO CHOSE TO WRITE AN ESSAY WILL GET AN AUTOMATIC 2 POINT BONUS!
In order to get full credit you must:
* Use text to support your ideas
* Explain how the text you chose supports your answer
1. What is the author’s purpose for the repeated use of light and dark imagery? Please cit at least 3
examples from the text to support your response. (10 points)
2. We learn about the death of the narrator’s daughter, Gracie, early in the text, but we are not given
details about the tragedy until later on. Revisit the text that describes her death and explain why the
author chose to wait to provide details until nearly the end of the story. (10 points)
3. The narrator describes his shock at his brother’s arrest as “a great block of ice” that settled in his
belly and “kept melting there all day long.” Explain how this melting process could be a metaphor for
the speaker’s transformation as a dynamic character. Use text from the beginning and end of the story
to support your response. (10 points)
I chose essay number ________________
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