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QuizMultiple Choice

James Baldwin's Take on the Effects of Prejudice

Question 1 • DBN LA 6-CR

Read the excerpt from Notes of a Native Son.He had lived and died in an intolerable bitterness of spirit and it frightened me, as we drove him to the graveyard through those unquiet, ruined streets, to see how powerful and overflowing this bitterness could be and to realize that this bitterness now was mine. Which best explains Baldwin’s choice to use the word “unquiet” instead of “loud” to describe the streets of Harlem after the race riot?

Answer
A
Baldwin is referring to all of the sounds in the area as opposed to just the sounds that are loud.
B
Baldwin is referring to the thoughts in his head that occur as he drives through the area as opposed to actual sounds.
C
Baldwin is describing the feeling of restlessness and tension in the area as opposed to actual sounds.
D
Baldwin is describing the sound of the car as it drives through the area and disrupts the eerie silence.

Explanation

“Unquiet” suggests more than noise; it conveys a place unsettled by unrest and tension. Baldwin describes the streets as ruined after a race riot, and the bitterness he feels connects to the area’s troubled atmosphere. “Loud” would refer only to volume, while “unquiet” captures the lingering restlessness of Harlem.

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