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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. In what state does the author spend most of her time collecting stories?

2. Why did John go to the field?

3. Another man in Chapter 4 tells a story about a man dipped in a river. What river was the man dipped in?

4. Why, in Chapter 4, is the men's workday canceled?

5. In Chapter 2, what topic do most of the stories cover?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Hurston manage to fit into the Everglades Cypress Lumber Company community?

2. Explain what a "toe dance" is and Hurston's experience at the "toe dance."

3. Describe the story Jim Presley tells Hurston. How are black men better then white men in this story?

4. Describe the story John French tells in Chapter 3.

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

6. Describe Julius Henry's story.

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

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

9. Why is Hurston interested in learning about folktales?

10. What is the story Hurston hears about the Johnstown flood?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is the benefit of this book being written in first person? How does it enhance the reader's experience? Why might Hurston have chosen to write the book this way rather then presenting a collection of tales?

Essay Topic 2

How does the depression affect the lives of the people Hurston meets? How does it affect their interaction with Hurston?

Essay Topic 3

How does Hurston use dialect and slang in her book to describe the people she meets? How does it alter the reader's experience? Is dialect an effective tool for the writer?

(see the answer keys)

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