Invisible Man

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.

3. Which of the following most likely explains why Mr. Norton overlooks a “ragged driver” of a “broken-down wagon” when driving with the protagonist?

A) He has a skewed perception of the college and its surrounding area, willfully ignoring the areas in need.

B) He sleeps while the protagonist drives, not wanting to speak with him on the ride.

C) He believes that the residents of that area have brought poverty upon themselves.

D) He doesn’t care about where the protagonist comes from.

4. Which of the following statements best describes the protagonist’s character when he receives the letters of recommendation from Dr. Bledsoe?

A) He is reaching the climax of his character development, having found a network and community in college.

B) He is at the beginning of his journey, and he will soon be writing letters that other students will carry with them.

C) He is at the end of his journey, looking toward the future of his career.

D) He is still naive, willfully accepting whatever Bledsoe tells him without questioning it.

5. What causes the protagonist to lose his trust in Bledsoe?

A) The false letters of recommendation

B) The assignment to Mr. Norton

C) The factory explosion

D) The boxing match

6. Which of the following words best describe the protagonist’s work at the paint factory?

A) Exciting

B) Mindless

C) Peaceful

D) Calm

7. What does the protagonist’s feelings of disappointment in his education, work, and social life throughout the novel imply?

A) The protagonist is never going to be completely satisfied and he has to make peace with that.

B) One has to work hard to overcome disappointment in one’s education, work, and social life.

C) Disappointment is a part of life, and it is inescapable.

D) Though these aspects of life can help one’s sense of self, they can also be sources of harm because of the oppressive efforts of others.

8. How is the Brotherhood different from the Southern Black community the protagonist was born in?

A) The Brotherhood is much more secretive and works to introduce the protagonist to others like him.

B) The wealth, prestige, and influence are very different from his experiences living in economically precarious situation in which he grew up.

C) His home community is much more welcoming, while the Brotherhood immediately alienates him.

D) The community and family-oriented feel of the Brotherhood contrasts his experience growing up alone.

9. What does the protagonist’s desire to get rid of the coin bank represent?

A) It symbolizes his goal to overcome racial oppression.

B) It symbolizes his desire to get rid of items that remind him of his past and of his debt to others.

C) It symbolizes his desire to show others how they can move past oppression.

D) It symbolizes his desire to avoid being tied to money and or economically linked to others.

10. Why does the white woman help the protagonist escape to the roof as the police break up the crowd?

A) She wants him to get away from the police.

B) She wants to trick him, sending the police after him herself.

C) She wants to send Brother Jack after him.

D) She wants to ensure that he is able to pay Mary back for his housing.

11. How is Ras “the Exhorter” a foil to the protagonist?

A) He is in a different organization.

B) He has a different mission in his speeches.

C) He makes an emotional appeal in comparison with the protagonist’s preference for reason and order.

D) He uses logic and intellect to appeal to crowds in comparison with the protagonist’s emotional appeal.

12. How are Ras’s instincts about working with white people upheld by the end of the novel?

A) Ultimately, the Brotherhood blames the protagonist for the rioting and looting.

B) Ultimately, Ras’s organization succeeds in their goals.

C) Ultimately, the protagonist comes to support Ras.

D) Ultimately, the protagonist is betrayed by Brother Jack, who forces him to leave the Brotherhood.

13. Which of the following describes the correct chronology of the protagonist’s alienation from the Brotherhood?

A) The Brotherhood tries to replace him with Clifton, they suggest that he should change his oratory style, and then they blame him for the race riots.

B) The Brotherhood tries to make him more respectable; they replace him with Clifton, and then they accuse him of being a traitor.

C) The Brotherhood suggests that he lead the organization, they exile him to a downtown office working on women’s rights issues, and they blame him for the race riots.

D) The Brotherhood wants him to change his speaking style, they send him to work on women’s rights issues, and they don’t support his decision to host Clifton’s funeral.

14. What is ironic about Ras the Exhorter calling out the protagonist for the Brotherhood’s lack of action in response to Clifton’s shooting?

A) The protagonist is the one who organized Clifton’s funeral to become a rallying point for Harlem.

B) The protagonist was the one vetoed again action around Clifton’s death.

C) The protagonist knows the real story behind Clifton’s death.

D) The protagonist is trying to have the police officer who shot Clifton fired.

15. What does the protagonist learn about working for racial justice?

A) That he can affect change no matter how people try to get him down

B) That he is better off relying on his own instincts rather than on the influences of others

C) That he will always be seen as lesser in the eyes of the Brotherhood

D) That he needs to move and start over

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating text details to support your response.

1. How is Clifton’s death a turning point in the novel?

2. Explain the protagonist’s development as a character. How is he different from who he was at the start of the novel?