Chapter 17 Quiz — Invisible Man

by Ralph Ellison

Comprehension Quiz: Chapter 17

What position is the narrator appointed to at the beginning of Chapter 17?

Personal assistant to Brother Jack at the Brotherhood's downtown headquarters
Chief spokesman of the Brotherhood's Harlem District
Youth director responsible for organizing young members across New York City
Editor of the Brotherhood's newspaper covering events in the Harlem community

Who introduces the narrator to his new office and role in Harlem?

Tod Clifton, the Harlem youth director who becomes his closest ally
Brother Tarp, the elderly Black man who works in the office
Brother Jack, the Brotherhood's white leader who drives him to Harlem
Ras the Exhorter, who confronts him about entering Harlem territory

What is Tod Clifton's role within the Brotherhood?

He serves as the Brotherhood's chief financial officer for the Harlem District
He acts as the personal bodyguard for Brother Jack during Harlem rallies
He works as an undercover operative gathering intelligence on Ras's movement
He serves as the youth director for the Harlem District of the Brotherhood

How does the narrator initially view Tod Clifton when they first meet?

As a potential rival for leadership who might compete with him for power in Harlem
As an unthreatening subordinate who will simply follow his orders without question
As a dangerous extremist whose views are too radical for the Brotherhood's mission
As an incompetent organizer who has failed to build support in the Harlem community

What does Ras the Exhorter advocate?

Interracial cooperation and class-based unity among all working people
Nonviolent civil disobedience modeled on Gandhian principles of resistance
Black nationalism, racial separatism, and African unity for all people of African descent
Integration through legal reform and working within existing political structures

What happens when the narrator holds his first street rally in Harlem?

The rally succeeds peacefully and draws many new members to the Brotherhood's cause
The police arrive and arrest the narrator for holding an unauthorized public gathering
Ras the Exhorter and his followers attack the rally, starting a violent confrontation
Brother Jack interrupts and criticizes the narrator for deviating from approved rhetoric

During the fight between Clifton and Ras, what does Ras ultimately decide to do?

He kills Clifton with a knife to send a message to the Brotherhood about his power
He surrenders to Clifton and agrees to a temporary truce between their two factions
He captures Clifton and forces him to listen to a speech about African liberation
He spares Clifton's life, declaring he cannot kill a fellow Black man despite viewing him as a traitor

What warning does Ras give to Clifton about the Brotherhood?

That the Brotherhood is a front for organized crime that exploits community activism
That the white members of the Brotherhood will eventually betray their Black comrades
That the Brotherhood's leaders are secretly working with the police to suppress Harlem
That the Brotherhood plans to move its headquarters out of New York to another city

What is the significance of the bar named El Toro in Chapter 17?

It is where the narrator secretly meets with Ras to negotiate a peaceful resolution
It represents the narrator's desire to escape from both the Brotherhood and Harlem
Its name ("the bull" in Spanish) contributes to the bullfighting imagery that symbolizes violent racial conflict
It is the Brotherhood's unofficial headquarters where they plan their Harlem strategy

What do the narrator's nightmares about Dr. Bledsoe, Lucius Brockway, and his grandfather suggest?

That the narrator is suffering from post-traumatic stress and needs professional help
That the narrator misses his former life at the college and wants to return to the South
That the narrator subconsciously fears the Brotherhood will betray him as past authority figures did
That the narrator feels guilty about abandoning his family and community responsibilities

Which statement best describes the Brotherhood's approach to the struggle for equality?

They advocate an interracial, class-based movement guided by scientific ideology and theory
They promote Black economic self-sufficiency through independent business development
They focus exclusively on legal challenges to segregation through the court system
They support armed resistance against white supremacist institutions and power structures

What does the narrator's appointment as Harlem spokesman reveal about how the Brotherhood values him?

They deeply respect his intellectual contributions and original ideas about racial justice
They value his rhetorical skill as a persuasive tool rather than his individual ideas or identity
They see him as the natural leader of the Harlem community because of his deep local roots
They trust him completely and give him full autonomy to make decisions for the district

Which of the following events DID NOT happen in Chapter 17?

The narrator is appointed chief spokesman for the Brotherhood's Harlem District
Brother Tarp gives the narrator a link from the chain he wore as a prison inmate
Ras the Exhorter and his followers attack the narrator's street rally
Ras draws a knife on Tod Clifton but refuses to kill a fellow Black man

How does the confrontation between Ras and Clifton illustrate the novel's theme of invisibility?

Ras literally cannot see Clifton during their fight because it takes place in darkness
Clifton becomes invisible to the crowd by hiding among the spectators after the fight
Ras sees Clifton only as a racial category rather than as an individual with his own beliefs and agency
The narrator watches the fight invisibly from a hidden location without participating in it

Comprehension Quiz

Question 1 of 0

Score: 0 / 0

Read Chapter

← Previous Next →