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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 name of the theater in Los Angeles?

2. What does Langston think about his father?

3. In how many books does Simple appear?

4. Who does Langston meet in Ashkhabad?

5. After his first year at Lincoln, where does Hughes rent a room for the summer?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is significant about Jesse B. Simple?

2. What does Langston do upon returning to the United States?

3. What does Langston do while in Carmel, California?

4. How is Langston able to tour the American South for the entirety of the summer?

5. Describe Langston's poetry-reading tour.

6. What happens after Langston returns to New York City?

7. What does Langston do after his first year at Lincoln?

8. Where do Langston and his mother move? How is this beneficial?

9. Who is Jesse B. Simple?

10. Why does Hughes travel to Spain?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Hughes is a sociologist.

Part 1) How do you know this?

Part 2) How does his curiosity about society get him into trouble? Why does it get him into trouble?

Part 3) How does he use this interest in sociology affect his poetry, as well as his popularity as an artist?

Essay Topic 2

Hughes travels to Africa.

Part 1) Describe his trip. Does it turn out as he expected? Why or why not?

Part 2) What is ironic about this trip?

Part 3) Why is color so important to various cultures at this time? Is race still important today? Explain.

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 908 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample