Back to My Own Country: An Essay

In "Back to My Own Country," why does the young Levy identify herself more with whites than with blacks? Choose two options.

- Her boyfriend and her closest friends were white. - She was brought up in a mostly-white neighborhood.

According to "Back to My Own Country," which best describes the population of the Caribbean islands during the height of the British Empire?

British, African, Asian, Middle Eastern, Jewish, and Indian

According to "Back to My Own Country," which best describes the contrast between how Levy's parents lived in Jamaica and how they lived in England?

In Jamaica they were middle class. In England they were poor.

Which best describes the effect of Levy's use of the sentence fragment "None at all" in this excerpt? "On one occasion my mom did not have money to buy food for our dinner. None at all. She worried that she might be forced into the humiliation of asking someone, a neighbor perhaps, for a loan."

It emphasizes the extent of the family's poverty.

What does the noun myriad mean in the following sentence? "As the president came to the end of her speech and asked for questions, a myriad of reporters' voices calling for her attention filled the air."

Large number

Which best describes Levy's purpose for posing these rhetorical questions near the beginning of the text? "What are the links that made Britain a natural destination for that Caribbean man on the bus, fifty years ago? How and why did Britain forge those links in the first place?"

Levy engages readers and sets up the essay by posing questions she will go on to answer.

What does the adjective myriad mean in the following sentence? "There are always myriad people in the square on market day, so it's difficult to get through the crowd."

Many

Part A According to "Back to My Own Country," which best describes the effect the Caribbean slave-owning economy had on the British Empire? Part B Which of the following passages from the essay best supports the answer to Part A?

Part A The Caribbean economy enabled the British Empire to thrive and expand. Part B The money that slavery in the Caribbean generated was reinvested in Britain's industry and infrastructure. Britain's empire grew as a result.

Part A According to "Back to My Own Country," which best describes the effect writing had on Levy's feelings about her Caribbean heritage? Part B Which of the following passages from the essay best supports the answer to Part A?

Part A Through writing, she became intrigued by and excited about her ethnic heritage. Part B I realized for the first time that I had a background and an ancestry that was fascinating and worth exploring.

Part A In the second half of "Back to My Own Country," Levy writes at length about the 300 years of British domination over the Caribbean islands. Which best describes the author's purpose for writing about this topic? Part B Which of the following sentences from the second half of the essay best supports the answer to Part A?

Part A to teach readers that British rule of the Caribbean is a significant aspect of Britain's past Part B It is time to put the Caribbean back where it belongs—in the main narrative of British history.

Which of the following does the word upbringing refer to?

Raising one's children

What does Levy mean in the following passage from "Back to My Own Country," in which she describes the wave of post-World War II immigrants to Britain? "Their ideas, their creativity, and their ways of life have helped turn this country into a sophisticated multi-culture. This windfall of talent and variety is one of the great unforeseen benefits to Britain."

She believes immigrants have added variety, liveliness, and vigor to Britain's culture.

According to "Back to My Own Country," which best describes Levy's first trip to Jamaica?

She enjoys meeting her relatives and discovering her roots.

In "Back to My Own Country," Levy describes how, in both Jamaica and England, black people perpetuated a class system among themselves based on skin color. Which best describes how Levy viewed this color ranking when she was a youth?

She feels that she herself has no place in such a ranking system.

Which best describes the effect of Levy's use of this series of rhetorical questions? ". . . I was scared to call myself a black person. I didn't feel I had the right qualifications. Didn't you have to have grown up in a "black community"? Didn't you need to go to the Caribbean a lot? Didn't your parents need to be proud of being black? . . . I felt sure I would be found out as an impostor. I was not part of the black experience, surely?"

The questions emphasize the strength of her unwillingness to be identified as black.

If a person wishes to assimilate into a culture, which of the following must he or she do? Base your answer on the meaning of assimilate.

The person must adopt new customs.

Which is the most reasonable inference about why the British would support a system of social rank based on skin color?

The system would prevent people from uniting to overthrow British rule.

Which category of people can accurately be described as indigenous to their country?

Those who are native to the country

In "Back to My Own Country," Levy writes at length about her mother's opinions and actions regarding the British class system in both Jamaica and England. Which best describes Levy's purpose for including this material in her essay?

To provide an example of someone who believed in and helped maintain the class system

According to "Back to My Own Country," why was Levy ashamed of her family when she was young?

because she had absorbed the lesson that it was better to be white than black