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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 kind of beverage was drunk by the mourners of Cudjo's grandfather?

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

3. How many fully biologically-related younger siblings had Cudjo had?

4. Whom does Cudjo name as having decided adultery cases within his former community in Africa?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. At the end of the Introduction, Zora Neale Hurston writes that she has been sent to ask three questions of Cudjo. What are the three questions?

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

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

4. What is Cudjo's reaction when Hurston calls him Kossula?

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

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

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

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

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

10. In the story Cudjo tells about a murderer in his African village, what penalty is enacted after the accused is found guilty?

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

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 3

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.

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