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Storgy

Reading quiz

Fences

August Wilson

Type

Play

Published

1985

Questions

3 with answers

Access

Free

AP LiteratureCommon Core ElaIB EnglishIB Language & Literature

Curated set · answers marked

What is the main reason Troy Maxson gives for not wanting his son Cory to chase a football scholarship?

ATroy thinks Cory doesn't have the talent to compete at the college level.
BTroy prefers Cory to concentrate on his education instead of sports.
CTroy feels that Black athletes still face unfair treatment in professional sports, based on his own experience being shut out of Major League Baseball.
DTroy has already set up a full-time job for Cory at the local factory.

Rationale

Troy's refusal is rooted in his own painful experience of being excluded from Major League Baseball due to racial bias — he aged out of the Negro Leagues just as integration started to create opportunities. He projects this trauma onto Cory, believing that the same white-dominated sports institutions will ultimately reject his son as they rejected him.

What is the main reason Troy Maxson gives for not letting his son Cory accept a football recruitment offer from a college recruiter?

ATroy thinks Cory isn't talented enough to play at the college level.
BTroy wants Cory to concentrate on his job at the A&P grocery store and learn a trade instead of depending on sports.
CTroy feels envious of Cory's athletic talent and wants to undermine his future.
DTroy has already promised Cory's position on the team to another player.

Rationale

Troy tells Cory that Black athletes don't get fair chances in professional sports, based on his own experience of being shut out from Major League Baseball due to racial discrimination. He insists that Cory keep his job at the A&P and learn a dependable trade, believing that having a stable livelihood is more important and realistic than pursuing a career in athletics.

What is the main reason Troy Maxson gives for not backing his son Cory's pursuit of a college football scholarship?

AHe thinks Cory isn't talented enough to compete at the college level.
BHe wants Cory to concentrate on his job at the A&P grocery store instead.
CHe believes that Black athletes still face unfair opportunities in professional sports, drawing from his own experiences.
DHe feels jealous of Cory's relationship with Rose.

Rationale

Troy contends that even if Cory makes it in college football, he will encounter the same racial obstacles that Troy faced in baseball — being denied opportunities due to his race. This illustrates Troy's deeply ingrained, albeit outdated, perspective shaped by his own unfulfilled athletic dreams.

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