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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 objects are required to be brought to the king once a leopard has been killed, according to Cudjo?

2. What does Cudjo name as his first inclination regarding the likely reason for the chief's decision to summon boys over the age of 14?

3. How old does Cudjo say he had been when he had last seen Africa?

4. What sign does Hurston name as indicating that Cudjo is somewhere close by his house?

5. What reason does Cudjo give Hurston at the end of Chapter II when he wants Hurston to leave?

Short Essay Questions

1. In the story Cudjo tells about a murderer in his African village, what reason does the murderer give for his actions when he is questioned?

2. Describe the death rituals Cudjo describes as being followed within his former African community.

3. What is Zora Neale Hurston's purpose for including a photograph of a doorway just prior to the Preface of Barracoon?

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

5. How does Hurston distinguish between the two types of gifts she brings to Cudjo at the start of Chapter IV and why does she make this distinction?

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

7. At what age does Cudjo describe leaving Africa, and what does he say about the number of initiation rites he had completed by that time?

8. 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?

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

10. After Cudjo tells Hurston about his grandfather, what happens to make Hurston cut their visit short for the day?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the motif of sound within Hurston's book Barracoon.

Essay Topic 2

What ultimate message is Hurston's book Barracoon sending about the nature and value of compassion?

Essay Topic 3

How does the theme of deception arise within the text of Hurston's book Barracoon and what messages are sent about the presence of deception within the human condition?

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