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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 member of the family featured in "Drenched in Light" always does the dishes?

2. When Sam asks Stella if she can get off work to go somewhere with him, to what location does he invite her?

3. What text is used to condemn the actions of the man who used violence to steal a turkey in "The Bone of Contention"?

4. Which character ultimately decides to allow John's body to float down the river once it is obvious that he is dead?

5. John agrees to help save what type of structure in the face of an approaching storm?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. What contrast between the white culture and the black culture does Hurston highlight within the opening of "Black Death"?

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

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

7. What does Spunk's Stetson hat represent within the story entitled "Spunk"?

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay examining how the text portrays the American Dream. Is there one American Dream or are there many different ones, according to Hurston? What is the text saying about the American dream in the early twentieth century?

Essay Topic 2

What is Hurston’s message regarding the connection between anger and productivity and what tools are used within Hitting a Straight Lick With a Crooked Stick in order to get this message across to the reader?

Essay Topic 3

How does Hurston use sensory details in order to strengthen the messages sent in particular stories? Discuss at least two stories that include the use of sensory details and pull quotes from these stories to support your claim.

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