Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. A good quiz on a public figure should probably start at the beginning: When and where was Nikki Giovanni born?
2. Much of Giovanni's poetry has autobiographical themes. For example, Giovanni's signature poem, "Nikki-Rosa" (written in 1968), concludes:
"and I really hope no white person ever has cause
to write about me
because they never understand
Black love is Black wealth and they'll
probably talk about my hard childhood
and never understand that
all the while I was quite _____"
What word goes in the blank?
3. Like many artists of her generation, Giovanni explored issues of African-American identity (including the legacy of slavery) and pan-Africanism. Her 1972 poem "Africa II", for example, sees her reflect on her tour of Cape Coast Castle in Ghana, an important holding fort in the trans-Atlantic slave trade. What image does Giovanni use to frame this poem about claiming her African heritage?
4. In the early 1970s, Professor Giovanni was named Woman of the Year by multiple publications. Which of these was not one of them?
5. Though perhaps best known for her work of the late 1960s/early 1970s, Giovanni's 1997 compilation, "Love Poems", showed that the writer could still be provocative. To what hip-hop figure was this volume dedicated?
6. In addition to being influenced by hip-hop culture, Giovanni has proven to be something of an influence as well. What hip-hop group recorded Giovanni's poem "Ego Trip" on their 2000 debut album, "Nia"?
7. Professor Giovanni holds a Bachelors Degree in History from Fisk University and did early work in the graduate programs at the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University. In recognition of her professional work, several institutions have also chosen to award her honorary degrees. Which of these universities has not granted Professor Giovanni an honorary Doctorate?
8. In 2005, Giovanni won the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Best Book and the "Child Magazine's" Best Children's Book of the Year awards for a picture book illustrated by Bryan Collier. What American heroine did this work depict?
9. In addition to her literary work, Giovanni has lent her efforts to people battling a dread disease, of which she herself is a survivor. What disease is this?
10. Nikki Giovanni captured the national spotlight in 2007 when, after mentally disturbed English major Cho Seung-Hui killed 32 Virginia Tech faculty and students in the morning hours of April 16, it was reported that Professor Giovanni (a Distinguished Professor of English at the school since 1987) had demanded the shooter's dismissal from one of her courses in 2005 for bizarre and threatening behavior, threatening to resign if he was left in the class. At the convocation the day following the horrible events, Professor Giovanni gave closing remarks in a rhythmic meter. What phrase did she use as a recurring motif in these lines?
Source: Author
stuthehistoryguy
This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor
DakotaNorth before going online.
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