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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is Madam's full name?

2. Why doesn't the speaker in "Preference" like younger girls?

3. What does the speaker in "Life Is Fine" decide he was born for?

4. What is the speaker tired of in "One-Way Ticket"?

5. What children's rhyme does the speaker mention in "Children's Rhymes"?

Short Essay Questions

1. What do both "Still Here" and "Me and the Mule" celebrate?

2. What major themes are present in the poems included in "Montage of a Dream Deferred"?

3. How does Madam prefer to handle her suitors?

4. What historical figure might Madam Alberta K. Johnson be based upon?

5. What does the stereotype of the poem "Uncle Tom" tap into?

6. What problem does the U.S. Census worker have with Madam in "Madam and the Census Man"?

7. What theme unites the poems in "Name in Uphill Letters"?

8. What is the common tone of the pieces in "Life Is Fine"?

9. What are three sub-themes that appear in "Note on Commercial Theater"?

10. What is the commonality between all of the poems in "Lament Over Love"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compare and contrast 2 poems in the section "Lament Over Love," paying particular attention to their portrayal of men.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss why Hughes decided to name the section of "Selected Poems of Langston Hughes" that deals with the American South "Magnolia Flowers." Make sure to address the symbolism and imagery of a magnolia that Hughes taps into.

Essay Topic 3

Analyze Sylvester in "Sylvester's Death Bed" and discuss 1) the role(s) women play in the poem, 2) Sylvester's attitude about the women surrounding him, and 3) the meaning behind why Sylvester dies right before he is able to "hug 'em."

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This section contains 703 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample