View a FREE sample

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

Short Answer Questions

1. In what month and year did Zora Neale Hurston first meet Cudjo?

2. Cudjo says that when a new wife comes to a house, she at first lives with whom until she gets her own house?

3. The text states that the Dahoman year was split into two parts that included what two elements?

4. What are the names of Cudjo's twin great-granddaughters?

5. The owner of the Clotilde deceptively reported that the ship had been on a mission to retrieve what product?

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

3. 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?

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

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

6. In the Preface, Hurston states her reasons for faithfully representing Cudjo's story "without the intrusion of interpretation" (3). What does she mean?

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

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the difficulties Hurston faced as she tried to get Barracoon published. Ultimately, create an argument revolving around the benefits provided to American society through the publication of the book Barracoon.

Essay Topic 2

What ultimate message is Hurston's book Barracoon sending about the mythical qualities of the United States and its historical treatment of people of color?

Essay Topic 3

What messages does Hurston's book Barracoon send to the audience about the themes of isolation and outreach?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,086 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample