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

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

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

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

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

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Describe the end of Bentley's life.

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

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

5. Who is Beau Diddely?

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

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

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How is the theme of hypocrisy treated within Hurston’s text and with which of the text’s messages does the theme closely connect?

Essay Topic 2

Analyze the ways in which the themes of adaptability and resignation appear within Hurston’s collection Hitting a Straight Lick With a Crooked Stick. What message is Hurston sending about these two themes over the course of the narrative?

Essay Topic 3

All of the characters in the collection have specific yet varied relationships with money. Examine the theme of money in the text and how it affects the various characters.

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