Chapter 6 Quiz — Invisible Man

by Ralph Ellison

Comprehension Quiz: Chapter 6

Why does Dr. Bledsoe expel the narrator from the college?

  • The narrator openly challenged Bledsoe's authority in front of other students
  • The narrator allowed Mr. Norton to witness Trueblood's poverty and the Golden Day chaos
  • The narrator failed his academic courses and did not meet the college's standards
  • The narrator deliberately sabotaged a campus event attended by white trustees

What does Bledsoe say the narrator should have done when Norton asked to visit the surrounding area?

  • Refused Norton's request outright and driven back to campus immediately
  • Told Norton that Bledsoe had forbidden students from leaving campus grounds
  • Redirected Norton without the trustee ever realizing he was being managed
  • Reported Norton's request to Bledsoe before taking any action at all

How many sealed letters does Bledsoe give the narrator?

  • Three letters addressed to college alumni in the South
  • Five letters addressed to prominent Black leaders in Harlem
  • Seven letters addressed to white trustees and contacts in New York
  • Nine letters addressed to various colleges across the Northeast

What object does Bledsoe keep on his desk and toy with during the confrontation?

  • A framed photograph of the college's founding father and first students
  • An antique slave shackle that he displays as a symbol of Black progress
  • A worn Bible that belonged to the college's original spiritual leader
  • A brass paperweight engraved with the college's founding motto and date

What advice does the veteran doctor give the narrator at the bus station?

  • He tells the narrator to return to the college immediately and demand readmission
  • He urges the narrator to be his own father and play the game on his own terms
  • He warns the narrator to avoid New York entirely and head west instead
  • He advises the narrator to open the sealed letters and read their real contents

Why is the veteran doctor being transferred from the Golden Day?

  • He voluntarily requested a transfer to be closer to his family members
  • His medical license was revoked due to malpractice at the veterans' facility
  • It is implied he is being punished for his disruptive behavior during Norton's visit
  • He was caught stealing medications from the Golden Day's supply cabinet

How does the narrator react to the veteran's advice?

  • He angrily rejects it because he blames the veteran for his predicament
  • He listens politely but cannot truly absorb the wisdom, still trusting Bledsoe
  • He takes it deeply to heart and immediately begins questioning the letters
  • He ignores the veteran entirely and refuses to acknowledge his presence

What earlier symbol do the sealed letters parallel in the novel?

  • The golden coins thrown during the smoker in the Prologue and Chapter 1
  • The blindfold placed on the narrator during the battle royal ceremony
  • The briefcase given to the narrator after the battle royal in Chapter 1
  • The calfskin wallet that Mr. Norton carries throughout his campus visit

Which of the following events actually happens in Chapter 6?

  • The narrator opens one of the sealed letters and discovers its true contents
  • The narrator takes a farewell walk across the moonlit campus before leaving
  • Mr. Norton intervenes on the narrator's behalf and overrules Bledsoe's decision
  • Bledsoe publicly announces the narrator's expulsion at a college assembly

Which of the following does NOT happen in Chapter 6?

  • Bledsoe criticizes the narrator for blindly obeying Norton's request to visit Trueblood
  • The veteran doctor predicts specific events that will happen to the narrator in New York
  • The narrator confronts Bledsoe about the contents of the sealed letters
  • The narrator boards a bus bound for New York carrying the sealed letters

In the context of Chapter 6, what does "deference" mean when describing Bledsoe's behavior toward white trustees?

  • Genuine admiration and respect for their superior moral character and leadership
  • Strategic, respectful submission performed to maintain his own hidden power
  • Reluctant compliance born from personal fear of losing his financial income
  • Enthusiastic cooperation motivated by shared educational goals and academic values

What does it mean that the slave shackle on Bledsoe's desk is a "multivalent" symbol?

  • It has only one fixed meaning that all characters agree upon and understand equally
  • It is an expensive antique that increases in monetary value over the passage of time
  • It carries multiple simultaneous meanings depending on who is interpreting the object
  • It was originally used by multiple slaveholders before ending up in Bledsoe's collection

When the chapter describes Bledsoe's "cynicism," what quality is being identified?

  • His sincere sadness about the limitations placed on Black institutions in America
  • His distrust of human goodness and belief that self-interest drives all behavior
  • His intellectual curiosity about the philosophical foundations of racial inequality
  • His emotional detachment caused by years of personal hardship and academic isolation

Comprehension Quiz

Question 1 of 0
Score: 0 / 0
Read Chapter
← Previous Next →