Invisible Man

Reading Check and Short Answer Questions on key plot points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

Introduction-Chapter 1

Reading Check

1. About how long did it take Ellison to write Invisible Man?

2. What is the protagonist obsessed with and how does he incorporate this obsession into his home?

3. When does Chapter 1 take place relative to the Prologue?

4. What does the protagonist receive delivering his speech at the hotel reception?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What is the protagonist’s name? Why is it significant?

2. What did the protagonist’s grandfather say on his deathbed?

3. What makes it difficult for the protagonist to deliver his speech at the hotel reception?

Paired Resource

“The Exceptional Negro: Fighting to Be Seen in a Colorblind World”

• A TEDx Talk by Traci Ellis discussing racism and colorblindness
• What does it mean to be seen? What connections can you make to the protagonist’s assertion that he is invisible?

Chapters 2-6

Reading Check

1. What is the reason why the protagonist must drive Mr. Norton around?

2. Who does the protagonist bring Mr. Norton to visit on their drive?

3. What is the name of the school’s president?

4. What is the protagonist given when he is sent to New York?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Why is the protagonist worried that he will be punished for taking Mr. Norton to the Golden Day?

2. What does Reverend Barbee talk about in his speech at the chapel service?

3. How does Dr. Bledsoe attempt to manipulate or control the white school trustees?

Chapters 7-12

Reading Check

1. Who accompanies the protagonist on his bus trip to New York?

2. Which of the trustees finally agrees meet with the protagonist in New York?

3. Where does the protagonist end up working in New York?

4. Who helps the protagonist recover after the accident at work?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What advice does the protagonist receive on the way to New York?

2. Why does the protagonist become worried and frustrated while attempting to deliver his letters of recommendation to the trustees?

3. What surprising information is shared in Dr. Bledsoe’s letters of recommendation?

Chapters 13-16

Reading Check

1. Which food makes the protagonist homesick?

2. How does the crowd ultimately affect the police’s attempts to kick an elderly couple out of their home?

3. Where does the white woman direct the protagonist to go to get away from the police?

4. A man invites the protagonist to become a part of the Brotherhood. How does he introduce himself?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. In his speech, what message is the protagonist attempting to share with the police officers who are actively trying to evict an elderly Black couple?

2. Why does the protagonist decide to join the Brotherhood?

3. What is the protagonist asked to do for the Brotherhood?

Paired Resource

“Unlearning: Kindness, Color Blindness and Racism”

• A PBS article about the damaging effects of “color blindness” that introduces the concept
• What examples and/or effects of “color blindness” do you see in this novel?

Chapters 17-21

Reading Check

1. What is the name of the person who trains the protagonist in the Brotherhood?

2. What is the protagonist’s new appointment or title within the Brotherhood?

3. What happens to Tod Clifton?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. How is Ras the Exhorter’s organization different from the Brotherhood?

2. What new movement is the protagonist assigned to work on while a committee of Brotherhood members investigate the issues surrounding him?

3. Why does his affair with the white woman make the protagonist nervous?

4. What happens to the Brotherhood in Harlem while the protagonist is away?

Paired Resource

“Where Does The 'Pull Up Your Pants' School Of Black Politics Come From?”

• An NPR article by Leah Donella that explains what respectability is and what role it has played in Black history
• What role do respectability politics play in this novel?

“Watch Us Elocute”

• This poem by Marcus Wicker conveys ideas related to racism, respectability, and stereotypes. It also explicitly mentions Ralph Ellison. (Content Warning: profanity)
• How does this poem help us better understand the role that the Brotherhood expects the protagonist to play in their organization?

Chapter 22-Epilogue

Reading Check

1. Why does the protagonist hide his identity during the rally?

2. Who does the protagonist seduce in order to obtain information about the Brotherhood?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. How does the Brotherhood feel about the funeral the protagonist organized for Tod Clifton?

2. What is the underlying meaning of the idea that white people view Black people as “numbers”?

3. What approach does the protagonist take to work against the Brotherhood while still being a part of it?

4. What does the protagonist realize during the riot?

Recommended Next Reads 

The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin

• Two autobiographical essays address Race in 20th-Century America and discuss the racial tension issues of the era.
• The Fire Next Time on SuperSummary

The Fire This Time by Jesmyn Ward

• This anthology of essays addresses the racial climate in the 21st century, drawing on the history of Race in 20th-Century America.
• The Fire This Time on SuperSummary