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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 the story about the slave and the gun, what was the slave sent to shoot?

2. What do people make drinks out of at the joint?

3. Where does Hurston travel to in Chapter 10?

4. In Chapter 1 of Hoodoo, what does Hurston realize?

5. What happens in Larkins White's story when the gun explodes?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who is Mark C. Ford ?

2. Why do people say "unh-hunh" ?

3. Describe Hurston's final story in Chapter 7 about the rat and the cat.

4. Describe the law over alcohol Hurston describes in Chapter 9. How is alcohol made?

5. What does Hurston believe Hoodoo is about? Who is Hurston's first teacher?

6. Explain how "butterflies" came to be according to Floyd Thomas.

7. Compare and contrast Everglades Cypress Lumber Company to the housing in Pierce.

8. What is the purpose of "big women" and "lil' women"?

9. In Chapter 7, does there appear to be an order to the stories Hurston tells? If so, what is the order? If not, why is there no order?

10. What is the significance of Eve of St. John's in Chapter 2?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What role does humor play in Hurston's stories? Choose two stories and explain the use of humor in each tale.

Essay Topic 2

What was Hurston's purpose in writing this book? Did she achieve this purpose? What does the reader learn from this book?

Essay Topic 3

How does Hurston's life provide the inspiration for writing "Mules and Men"? Provide examples from Hurston's life that lead to her passion for researching folklore and Hoodoo. How does this topic bring her closer to her culture?

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