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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 8 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Which two lines of each stanza create a kind of refrain in this poem?
(a) The first and third.
(b) The fifth and sixth.
(c) The second and fourth.
(d) The first and sixth.

2. Whose presence is implied in "To bend and barter at desire's call" (line 4)?
(a) Clients.
(b) Pimps.
(c) Police officers.
(d) Bystanders.

3. What are the sex workers wearing on their feet?
(a) Thick-soled shoes that make them appear taller.
(b) Light shoes meant to be worn indoors.
(c) Elaborate shoes with high heels.
(d) Boots meant to protect them from snow and rain.

4. What does the expression "feet of clay" in line 15 refer to?
(a) Cowardice and fear.
(b) A delicate, easily-fractured nature.
(c) A hidden character flaw.
(d) Stubbornness and selfishness.

5. In line 16, what word does the speaker use to describe the feet of his own race?
(a) Fearful.
(b) Sacred.
(c) Prideful.
(d) Aching.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does the word "shod" in line 12 refer to?

2. In lines 2 and 3, the expression "when the night lets fall/ Its veil" is an example of which technique?

3. What ideas are associated with the snow in this poem?

4. Which lines of each stanza are indented?

5. What color does the speaker assign to the sex workers' feet?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the poem's first image, and how does it set a tone for the rest of the poem?

2. How does the use of the word "prowling" contrast with the poem's previous descriptions of the women?

3. Describe the form of this poem.

4. How does the second stanza set up a contrast between dark and light?

5. Where is Harlem and why is it significant to the meaning of this poem?

6. What indications does the speaker give that he feels the sex workers' choices indicate something about all Black people in America?

7. What does the poem conclude is the cause of the women's choice to pursue sex work?

8. How does McKay convey the idea that these women are sex workers?

(see the answer keys)

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