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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. When was Marie Leveau born?

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

4. How many initiations has Hurston gone through by the time she meets Luke Turner?

5. What does Hurston say she learns about in Chapter 10?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who is Anatol Pierre? Describe some of Hurston's experiences with this man.

2. Who is Mark C. Ford ?

3. Describe Hurston's initiation under Turner.

4. 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?

5. What happens to the snail that is ill in Chapter 8?

6. How does Hurston describe the creation of the world in Chapter 1?

7. Describe the spell Luke Turner casts to drive a man out of town? What did his customer want him to do originally, and why did she change her mind?

8. Who is Dr. Samuel Jenkins? What is his clientele like? Why do you think he chooses to work with these people?

9. How does Luke Turner learn about his Hoodoo power?

10. Where does the slave get the name Big Sixteen from? What does he appear as today?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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

Essay Topic 2

Hurston's book contains several folktales and traditions from the black community. Why are folktales important to keeping tradition alive? Cite one story Hurston hears and explain how the story keeps history alive and vibrant.

Essay Topic 3

Hurston meets many interesting people in the book. These people influence her life in many ways. Choose one person or couple she meets that influences her life and explain the positive and negative aspects of that influence.

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