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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. How many stories in total are presented within the collection Hitting a Straight Lick With a Crooked Stick?
(a) 21.
(b) 31.
(c) 11.
(d) 15.

2. Bentley treats everyone in his life abominably with the exception of which character?
(a) Joe Clarke.
(b) Magnolia Flower.
(c) Swift Deer.
(d) John.

3. What does the final line of the story "The Conversion of Sam" reveal?
(a) That Stella and Sam went on to have four children.
(b) That Sam never gambled again.
(c) That Stella died later that night.
(d) That Sam eventually became the foreman at the mill.

4. The local conjure man depicted in "Black Death" lives next to what kind of body of water called Blue Sink?
(a) A bay.
(b) A river.
(c) A creek.
(d) A lake.

5. Every story in the collection Hitting a Straight Lick With a Crooked Stick belongs to which literary movement?
(a) Surrealism.
(b) Romanticism.
(c) Transcendentalism.
(d) The Harlem Renaissance.

6. In the story entitled "The Conversion of Sam," what type of establishment does Jim own with his wife Mattie?
(a) A bookstore.
(b) A brothel.
(c) A nightclub.
(d) A restaurant.

7. The boy at the center of the story "A Bit of Harlem" tells the young woman that he will come back on which holiday?
(a) Easter.
(b) Christmas Eve.
(c) Christmas Day.
(d) Halloween.

8. Just before Spunk dies, he blames which character for causing his death?
(a) Joe Kanty.
(b) Joe Clarke.
(c) Lena.
(d) Elijah.

9. Which type of wood is NOT mentioned when Isis watches her grandmother gathering a collection of switches?
(a) Apple.
(b) Guana.
(c) Peach.
(d) Cherry.

10. When John begs for the chance to travel for a number of years, how many years does he mention?
(a) 1 or 2.
(b) 2 or 3.
(c) 5 or 6.
(d) 9 or 10.

11. The jawbone of what type of animal figures into the storyline of "The Bone of Contention"?
(a) A donkey.
(b) A mule.
(c) A dog.
(d) A horse.

12. The road that passes in front of Isis's house stretches north toward Sanford, Florida and south toward which city?
(a) Orlando.
(b) Jacksonville.
(c) Detroit.
(d) Miami.

13. In what way is Alfred related to John?
(a) Uncle.
(b) Grandfather.
(c) Father.
(d) Cousin.

14. In what setting does the story entitled "Spunk" take place?
(a) Eatonville, Florida.
(b) Sanford, Florida.
(c) Harlem, New York.
(d) Reform, Alabama.

15. Which character ultimately decides to allow John's body to float down the river once it is obvious that he is dead?
(a) Matty.
(b) Jackson.
(c) Alfred.
(d) Stella.

Short Answer Questions

1. Before the discovery of a number of stories focused on urban environments, how many such stories by Zora Neale Hurston were previously thought to exist?

2. How old is Sam when he falls back into his addiction to gambling?

3. With which writer did Zora Neale Hurston have a falling-out, according to the text's introduction?

4. When Stella asks Jim for a job, she says she had arrived the previous day from which state?

5. What is NOT something Sam loses each night when he stays out gambling?

(see the answer keys)

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