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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does a man tell Hurston some people are only good at doing to groceries?
(a) Dropping.
(b) Murdering.
(c) Buying.
(d) Stealing.

2. How long does the "toe party" last?
(a) Several hours.
(b) Two hours.
(c) Till 5 a.m.
(d) Till the cops arrive.

3. What do the men hear in Chapter 6 on their way to the "jook joint"?
(a) Voices.
(b) Kissing.
(c) An accident.
(d) Fighting.

4. In Chapter 5, why did the first slave avoid a beating for looking up the drawers?
(a) They were hanging on a tree.
(b) They were on the line.
(c) They were on the missus.
(d) They were in the laundry room.

5. What is Joe Wiley's story about in chapter 5?
(a) Two thieves.
(b) A hitchhiker.
(c) A farm.
(d) Two slaves.

Short Answer Questions

1. How to the men react to the new person in town at the end of Chapter 6?

2. What story does Gold tell in Chapter 2?

3. Mr. Pitts teases Hurston in a ____________ voice.

4. Shug is short for _____________.

5. What do the townspeople think about the author's choice of towns?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Shug's reaction to Julius Henry's story, and why might she react this way?

2. What is the significance of the stories Hurston hears about the slave outsmarting the master or black men outsmarting white men?

3. Why does Charlie Jones claim that congregations split into different churches?

4. Where does Hurston arrive at the start of the book, and what is her purpose for traveling there?

5. Why do people treat Hurston differently at the Pine Mill? How do they act around her?

6. How does Gold explain the difference of skin tone in people?

7. Why do you think there are debates over which folktales are true or which version is the "correct" one?

8. What example does Hurston use to describe justice in Chapter 4, and what is Hurston's opinion about justice?

9. Why might the name John be used in tales about slaves?

10. Describe one of the stories Hurston hears in Chapter 4 that describes ugliness.

(see the answer keys)

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