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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. Why did John go to the field?

2. In Mathilda Mosley's story, woman asks God for ____________.

3. What does "Big Moose done come down from de mountain" mean?

4. In Chapter 4, what does Hurston initially think of the people in the city where she stops?

5. What city does the author cross into at the start of the book?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. What purpose do folktales serve in a community or culture? Provide a brief example of a story Hurston hears that explains that purpose.

4. Describe the interaction between Hurston and Mr. Pitts.

5. What happens in Chapter 8 on the way to the "jook joint"?

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

7. How does Hurston win acceptance at the Pine Mill?

8. Why does Hurston go into the swamp with the men in Chapter 4? Where does she go instead and why?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How do the stories in Hurston's book address the theme of creation? Choose two examples of examples and explain how these examples contribute to the theme of creation.

Essay Topic 2

What is Hoodoo, and what is its importance to Southern culture? Is Hoodoo superstition or religion? Explain.

Essay Topic 3

Describe Hurston's experience at the Everglades Cypress Lumber Company. Describe two important people she meets here and why they are important to her book.

(see the answer keys)

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