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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. In line 1, "footsteps of a lass" is an example of which technique?
(a) Sibilance.
(b) Synesthesia.
(c) Onomatopoeia.
(d) Alliteration.

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

3. What ideas are associated with the snow in this poem?
(a) Heaven, purity, and nature.
(b) Circumstance, poverty, and innocence.
(c) Prejudice, indifference, and suffering.
(d) Punishment, corruption, and justice.

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

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

Short Answer Questions

1. In line 16, what word does the speaker use to describe the feet of his own race?

2. Which techniques are evident in line 4, "To bend and barter at desire's call"?

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

4. Which line most clearly echoes the tension between "little girls" (line 5) and "prowling" (line 6)?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the form of this poem.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(see the answer keys)

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