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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. Cudjo states that he has been "in Americky soil since" (19) what year?

2. On what day of the sea voyage were the slaves finally brought up onto the deck so that they could "regain the use of their limbs" (11)?

3. Chapter II's title refers to the arrival of what person in Cudjo's life?

4. About whom is Cudjo trying to tell Hurston when she breaks in, telling Cudjo that she wants to hear more about his own life?

5. What gift does Hurston bring to Cudjo the day he takes her on a tour of his gardens?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Cudjo mean when he tells Hurston that his family "ain' got no ivory be de door" (19)?

2. What is the custom Cudjo describes that involves the whiskers of a leopard?

3. What major event happens within Cudjo's family in the story he tells at the start of Chapter III?

4. What gift does Zora Neale Hurston bring to Cudjo the second time she comes to his home to interview him and what is his reaction to the gift?

5. What are the circumstances of Zora Neale Hurston first meeting with Cudjo?

6. What methods of deception are used by the men at the helm of the Clotilde when Cudjo is aboard the ship?

7. Cudjo discusses a particular practice undertaken by rich men's daughters in his former community in Africa. What is that practice he describes?

8. What were the consequences for the Meaher family as a result of their decision to fund a journey to import slaves to Alabama?

9. What reason does Cudjo give for having another visitor the first day Zora Neale Hurston comes to interview him at his home?

10. Explain the customs followed by the wives of a deceased man in Cudjo's former African community.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the author's decision to faithfully represent Cudjo’s speech using his own colloquial vernacular. What purpose did she have in mind when insisting upon this condition for publication and how does this decision connect to and support the overarching themes and messages of the text?

Essay Topic 2

Perform a biographical criticism of Hurston's book Barracoon by researching the author's life and work. Be sure to create a strong and specific claim focused on this particular book and then support that claim with quotes from the book and from your author research.

Essay Topic 3

How is the theme of injustice portrayed in Zora Neale Hurston’s book Barracoon? Examine the author's treatment of messages regarding injustice throughout the work.

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