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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. What objects does John like to place in the water near his home in order to pretend he is following them?
(a) Twigs.
(b) Leaves.
(c) Paper boats.
(d) Crickets.

2. Who orders Isis to get down from the gate post and rake the yard?
(a) Grandma Jones.
(b) Grandma Watts.
(c) Grandma George.
(d) Grandma Potts.

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

4. 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) 5.
(b) 3.
(c) 1.
(d) 0.

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

Short Answer Questions

1. The road that passes in front of Isis's house stretches north toward Sanford, Florida and south toward which city?

2. Which unpaid bill leads Mr. Bronner to fire Sam?

3. What type of tree do John and Magnolia Flower visit out of nostalgia at the end of "Magnolia Flower"?

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

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?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does the young disabled man featured in "A Bit of Harlem" say his teacher had told him about heaven? Why is this comment significant?

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

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

4. Describe the end of Bentley's life.

5. Discuss the significane of the final line of the story entitled "The Conversion of Sam."

6. In what way is Hurston a bit of an anomaly within the literary movement with which she is associated?

7. In what way does the story entitled "A Bit of Harlem" put forth an argument about the need for intersectionality when it comes to the discussion of race?

8. Who is Beau Diddely?

9. Describe the way in which the definition of courage is called into question within the story "Spunk."

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

(see the answer keys)

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