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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. The four men responsible for the deal that resulted in Cudjo's status as a slave included how many of the Meaher brothers?

2. What gift does Hurston give to Cudjo during the visit when Cudjo tells her about his father?

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

4. In what season does Hurston interview Cudjo for the first time within Barracoon's pages?

5. The King of Dahomey, on whose behalf Cudjo was captured and sold into slavery, is said to have maintained an army of how many people?

Short Essay Questions

1. How old is Cudjo at the time he is first interviewed by Zora Neale Hurston and what special problems does his age pose to Hurston's process?

2. What does Cudjo say about secrecy within his former community in Africa?

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

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

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

6. 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?

7. 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?

8. What is the significance of the year 1859 in Cudjo's life?

9. 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?

10. What is the significance of Cudjo's reaction when Hurston tells him to focus on his own story rather than on his grandfather's story?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does Zora Neale Hurston utilize irony within the text of Barracoon? Discuss at least three uses of irony within the essay and explore each instance's connection to larger themes contained within the piece.

Essay Topic 2

How does Zora Neale Hurston go about breaking the text of Barracoon into parts and how do these structural elements help to advance the goals of the text?

Essay Topic 3

How do Cudjo and Zora Neale Hurston use sensory details in order to paint a vivid portrait of anecdotes and details outlined within the narrative of Barracoon? Discuss at least two scenes that include use of sensory details and pull quotes from these scenes to support your claim.

(see the answer keys)

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