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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Which unpaid bill leads Mr. Bronner to fire Sam?
(a) Milk delivery.
(b) Electricity.
(c) Rent.
(d) Water.

2. What type of tree do John and Magnolia Flower visit out of nostalgia at the end of "Magnolia Flower"?
(a) Madrona.
(b) Willow.
(c) Elm.
(d) Palm.

3. Which character teases Joe about his philandering wife before being chastised by other men in the story "Spunk"?
(a) Jordan.
(b) Walter.
(c) Elijah.
(d) Spunk.

4. At the start of the story "John Redding Goes to Sea," for how many years have Matty and Alfred been married?
(a) 17.
(b) 12.
(c) 9.
(d) 20.

5. What is NOT something Sam loses each night when he stays out gambling?
(a) Money.
(b) Sleep.
(c) Self-respect.
(d) Stella's love.

Short Answer Questions

1. What gesture does Isis make that serves to "heap kindling on" her grandmother's "already burning ire" (75)?

2. What is the name of the woman whom Beau impregnates in the story entitled "Black Death"?

3. What is the last name of the man named Beau who mistreats his woman in the story called "Black Death"?

4. Stella and Sam get married in which month of the year?

5. How many stories in total are presented within the collection Hitting a Straight Lick With a Crooked Stick?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the main setting of the story "The Bone of Contention" and for what reason is the same setting represented within the story "Spunk" and others?

2. In what way is the theme of family bonds depicted in the story entitled "John Redding Goes to Sea"?

3. What does the gate post symbolize within the story entitled "Drenched in Light"?

4. What contrast between the white culture and the black culture does Hurston highlight within the opening of "Black Death"?

5. Discuss the significance of the final passages included within the story "John Redding Goes to Sea."

6. Discuss the purpose behind Hurston's use of a frame structure to present the story entitled "Magnolia Flower."

7. Discuss an instance in the collection when Hurston emphasizes the way in which white people exoticize black people.

8. For what reason does John leave the house during a storm in the story entitled "John Redding Goes to Sea"?

9. In what way does Hurston depict the difference between the two generations depicted in "Magnolia Flower"?

10. Describe the end of Bentley's life.

(see the answer keys)

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