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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. Who arrives in town at the end of Chapter 6?

2. What does the younger brother at the end of the story in Chapter 2 do for a living?

3. Whom does the brother outsmart in John French's story?

4. Where does the person go after dying in the Johnstown flood?

5. In Chapter 3, who ends the story by interrupting?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does John trick his master in Chapter 4?

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

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

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

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

6. Why is Hurston interested in learning about folktales?

7. Why is it significant that a woman listens to the devil's advice in Mathilda Mosley's story?

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

9. Why do you think the people of Eatonville were eager to share their stories and culture with Hurston?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

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

Describe Hurston's relationship with one of the Hoodoo practitioners. What does she learn from him or her? What spells or initiations does she perform with that person?

(see the answer keys)

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