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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Which character openly cavorts in the street with a married woman at the beginning of the story "Spunk"?

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

3. In what type of vehicle is Isis nearly transported safely past her family's home?

4. What type of body of water lies 300 feet beyond the door of John's family home?

5. In which season does John marry Stella?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. 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?

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

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

5. What is the symbolism of the tablecloth featured in the story "Drenched in Light"?

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

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

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

10. Describe the end of Bentley's life.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explicate the theme of courage within Hitting a Straight Lick With a Crooked Stick. What is Hurston’s message regarding courage and how do you know?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss Hurston's purpose for juxtaposing at least two different locations in a particular way within the text of Hitting a Straight Lick With a Crooked Stick.

Essay Topic 3

Choose an object from Hitting a Straight Lick With a Crooked Stick, such as the gold watch charm, the tablecloth, or some other symbolic object and discuss its overall meaning and its connection to themes within the text.

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