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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Who arrives at the carnival and brings an end to the dance Isis is performing for the crowd?
(a) Joel.
(b) Mama.
(c) Papa.
(d) Grandma.

2. Which character openly cavorts in the street with a married woman at the beginning of the story "Spunk"?
(a) Spunk.
(b) Joe.
(c) Joel.
(d) Elijah.

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

4. What term does the narrator of "Black Death" apply to white people?
(a) Materialists.
(b) Oppressors.
(c) Nihilists.
(d) Allies.

5. 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) Christmas Eve.
(b) Easter.
(c) Halloween.
(d) Christmas Day.

6. 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?
(a) 1.
(b) 3.
(c) 0.
(d) 5.

7. Which member of the family disapproves of John's desire to travel?
(a) His uncle.
(b) His older brother.
(c) His mother.
(d) His father.

8. How many of the stories in the collection have never before been presented to a modern audience?
(a) 8.
(b) 2.
(c) 4.
(d) 12.

9. In what year was Zora Neale Hurston's famous novel Their Eyes Were Watching God published?
(a) 1937.
(b) 1911.
(c) 1921.
(d) 1945.

10. In which season does the mother of Beau's lover confront him about the child he has conceived with her daughter?
(a) Summer.
(b) Winter.
(c) Spring.
(d) Fall.

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

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

13. Of what cause did Beau officially die, though it is implied that the local conjure man had a hand in it?
(a) Heart failure.
(b) Drowning.
(c) Asphyxiation.
(d) Stroke.

14. The white woman in the company of Isis at the story's end exclaims aloud that Isis is what emotion "itself," before describing her as "Drenched in Light" (83)?
(a) Joy.
(b) Anger.
(c) Purity.
(d) Envy.

15. How old is Sam when he falls back into his addiction to gambling?
(a) 31.
(b) 19.
(c) 21.
(d) 25.

Short Answer Questions

1. Just before Spunk dies, he blames which character for causing his death?

2. The overwrought expression of which emotion causes Bentley's death, according to the narrator?

3. Stella is badly injured during an encounter with what type of vehicle?

4. Which character ultimately decides to allow John's body to float down the river once it is obvious that he is dead?

5. Which group holds a carnival attended by Isis in the story "Drenched in Light"?

(see the answer keys)

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