Chapter 4 Quiz — Invisible Man

by Ralph Ellison

Comprehension Quiz: Chapter 4

Why is Dr. Bledsoe angry at the narrator in Chapter 4?

  • Because the narrator was disrespectful to Mr. Norton during the drive back to campus
  • Because the narrator failed to control what Mr. Norton saw and protect the college's image
  • Because the narrator deliberately took Mr. Norton to embarrassing locations on campus
  • Because the narrator forgot to pick up Mr. Norton at the scheduled time for his tour

What defense does the narrator offer to Dr. Bledsoe about the disastrous tour?

  • He claims he was unaware that the slave quarters and Golden Day were off-limits to visitors
  • He argues that another student was responsible for planning the route Mr. Norton would take
  • He explains that Mr. Norton himself directed the route and requested to visit the slave quarters
  • He insists that the campus gossip network has exaggerated what actually happened on the tour

What does Dr. Bledsoe confess about how he has maintained his position as college president?

  • He has built genuine friendships with white donors who respect his intellectual achievements
  • He has secretly documented illegal activities by white trustees to use as leverage against them
  • He has performed subservience and deference to white benefactors as the price of holding power
  • He has relied on the Founder's original endowment rather than seeking new white benefactors

Who is Reverend Homer A. Barbee, and what role does he play in Chapter 4?

  • A campus chaplain who leads the weekly service and privately counsels the troubled narrator
  • A visiting minister who delivers a mythologizing sermon about the college's Founder
  • A former student of the Founder who returns to donate money to the college endowment
  • A civil rights leader who challenges Bledsoe's accommodationist approach to white power

What is revealed about Reverend Barbee at the end of his sermon?

  • He is a former student of Dr. Bledsoe who was expelled and later forgiven by the college
  • He has been secretly paid by Bledsoe to deliver sermons that reinforce institutional loyalty
  • He is physically blind, revealed when his dark glasses fall from his face as he stumbles
  • He is illiterate and has memorized his entire sermon through years of oral repetition

What literary allusion does Ellison make through the name "Homer A. Barbee"?

  • Homer Simpson, representing the foolishness of blind obedience to authority figures
  • Homer the blind Greek epic poet, connecting Barbee's mythmaking to classical tradition
  • Homer Plessy, connecting the sermon to the legal history of segregation in America
  • Winslow Homer, the American painter known for depicting scenes of the post-Civil War South

How does Chapter 4's structure function as a literary diptych?

  • The narrator tells his story first in past tense and then retells it in present tense for emphasis
  • The first half features Bledsoe's brutal revelation while the second presents Barbee's transcendent sermon
  • The narrator's perspective alternates between his younger self and his older self reflecting on events
  • The chapter alternates between scenes at the college and flashbacks to the narrator's childhood home

What does Bledsoe mean when he tells the narrator that he "tells white folk what to think about us"?

  • He publishes academic research papers that shape white perceptions of African American culture
  • He controls the narrative white benefactors receive about Black life by managing the college's image
  • He regularly appears on radio programs to advocate for civil rights and racial equality
  • He writes the college's fundraising letters that describe the students' backgrounds and achievements

Which of the following events actually occurs in Chapter 4 of Invisible Man?

  • Dr. Bledsoe drops his public mask and confesses to performing subservience for white benefactors
  • Mr. Norton confronts Dr. Bledsoe directly about the conditions at the slave quarters
  • The narrator publicly challenges Bledsoe's authority during the chapel service
  • Reverend Barbee tells the narrator privately that he disagrees with Bledsoe's leadership

Which of the following does NOT happen in Chapter 4?

  • The narrator walks across the manicured campus aware that his future may be collapsing
  • Bledsoe tells the narrator he should have known to lie to protect the college's image
  • The narrator is formally expelled from the college during his meeting with Bledsoe
  • Reverend Barbee stumbles at the podium and his dark glasses fall from his face

In the context of Chapter 4, what does "accommodation" mean when applied to Dr. Bledsoe's strategy?

  • Providing housing and lodging for visiting white trustees and benefactors at the college
  • Adapting to and complying with the dominant white power structure rather than confronting it
  • Making reasonable adjustments to college policies to include diverse student perspectives
  • Settling disputes between faculty members through compromise and mutual agreement

What does "hagiography" mean as used to describe Barbee's sermon about the Founder?

  • A historical account based on primary sources and archival documents from the period
  • A critical analysis that exposes the flaws and contradictions in a public figure's legacy
  • An idealizing, worshipful biography that treats its subject with uncritical reverence
  • A dramatic monologue in which a speaker adopts the persona of a historical figure

What does "veneer" mean in the phrase "the college's idealistic veneer"?

  • A deep structural foundation that supports the institution's mission and educational goals
  • An attractive but superficial appearance that covers or disguises the true nature beneath
  • A transparent and honest representation of the college's values and community principles
  • A legal framework that protects the institution from external criticism and government inquiry

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