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

2. Which character teases Joe about his philandering wife before being chastised by other men in the story "Spunk"?

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

4. Bentley treats everyone in his life abominably with the exception of which character?

5. Which type of wood is NOT mentioned when Isis watches her grandmother gathering a collection of switches?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

4. 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?

5. In what way is gambling shown to negatively impact families within the story entitled "The Conversion of Sam"?

6. How does Joe Kanty meet his end in the story entitled "Spunk"?

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

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

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

10. In what way do Alfred and Matty act as foils to one another within the story "John Redding Goes to Sea"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

Discuss the messages sent about the theme of appearance versus reality within Hitting a Straight Lick With a Crooked Stick.

Essay Topic 3

In what way does Hurston utilize irony within the text? Discuss at least three uses of irony within Hitting a Straight Lick With a Crooked Stick and explore each instance's connection to larger themes contained within the piece.

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