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

2. At the start of the story "John Redding Goes to Sea," for how many years have Matty and Alfred been married?

3. What action do Isis and her brother Joel plan to do to their maternal grandmother before she wakes up and stops them?

4. In the story entitled "The Conversion of Sam," what type of establishment does Jim own with his wife Mattie?

5. What adjective does Isis's grandmother apply to Isis while warning her to stop sitting atop the gate post?

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

3. Describe the ten-year-old protagonist of the story "John Redding Goes to Sea," as he is introduced at the beginning of the story.

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

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

6. 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?

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

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

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

10. According to Genevieve West, what conclusion did scholars come to regarding the story "Muttsy," prior to the discovery of the eight other stories contained within the collection Hitting a Straight a Lick With a Crooked Stick?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What message does Hurston send within the pages of Hitting a Straight Lick With a Crooked Stick concerning the link between brutality and oppression?

Essay Topic 2

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 3

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.

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