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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 does Langston do at the end of the summer?

2. How much does Langston's meal cost him?

3. Who does Langston tell that his sickness derives from a hatred of his father?

4. By whom is Langston greatly influenced?

5. What does Langston think about his job as a doorman at a nightclub?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Langston get the opportunity to travel to Africa? What does he do, as he travels across the ocean?

2. Why does Langston travel to McKeesport, Pennsylvania?

3. What happens when Langston becomes a busboy at the Wardman Park Hotel?

4. How is Langston affected by racism at this point in his life?

5. How does Langston act on stage at church? What are the reactions of the congregation and his mother?

6. How do Langston and his father get into an argument?

7. What does Langston realize about his father, when he visits him for a summer?

8. What does Langston do while at Lincoln?

9. How is Langston, yet again, faced with prejudice?

10. What happens to Langston when he goes to a cafeteria with a white friend?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Hughes throws his books over the edge of a ship.

Part 1) Why had a brought the books along? Why does he throw them overboard?

Part 2) What causes this decision? How does this action reflect his view of life and his work?

Part 3) What does this reveal about his beliefs about his trip to Africa?

Essay Topic 2

Hughes' family life is unsettled.

Part 1) Describe his family life. Why is it so unsettled?

Part 2) How do his family dynamics affect him?

Part 3) How does the theme of a division between black and white play into this unsettled family?

Essay Topic 3

Hughes does not want to climb the social ladder.

Part 1) Why does he not want to climb the social ladder?

Part 2) Is he trying to help others climb the social ladder? Why or why not?

Part 3) Has Hughes climbed the social ladder, even though it is something he does not want? Explain.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 805 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample