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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. What happens to Hurston in Chapter 9?

2. What is a swamper?

3. What does it mean if a murder victim is buried sitting up?

4. Where does Hurston travel to in Chapter 10?

5. What does it mean if it rains at a funeral?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. How does the man kill four different animals with one bullet in Chapter 7?

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

4. What does Hurston discover is the common link between those practicing Hoodoo? Why is this link important?

5. Who is Luke Turner, and how does he treat Hurston upon meeting her? How does Hurston get Luke Turner to help her?

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

7. What happens at the juke joint in Chapter 9? How is Big Sweet involved?

8. Who saves Hurston from the fight at the wedding and how?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Define the term voice. Who is the voice of this story? Why did Hurston elect to use this method?

Essay Topic 2

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 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.

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