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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. The rejection Helga held earlier for America has turned to

2. What disturbs Helga about her conversation with Dr. Anderson?

3. Anne secretly knows that Dr. Anderson might

4. Anne's feelings about racism cause her to

5. Olsen thinks Helga's surprise at his proposal is

Short Essay Questions

1. Discuss Axel Olsen's inappropriateness with Helga. What kind of person is he? Why does Helga reject him?

2. Why would Helga become alienated in a school for Negro children? What makes her different from other faculty.

3. What exactly happens to Helga in Denmark? What is her social life like? Is she doomed to be unhappy again? Why?

4. To what do you suppose Helga is attracted in Dr. Anderson? (Hint: Up until now, the author repeatedly mentions a certain aspect of him.)

5. What does the story imply about Mrs. Hayes-Rore's husband? In what might he have been involved? Explain your answers, quoting text.

6. Is it clear whether Helga is liked by her peers or colleagues? If so, is it genuine? Is Helga a likable person?

7. Who is Uncle Peter? Why does Helga expect help from him?

8. Something about Anne has begun to wear on Helga. What is it? Is Helga's irritability justified? Why?

9. How does Larsen tell us that Helga is irreparably damaged from her childhood? Helga does not complain much - how do we know that she carries old wounds?

10. Describe Helga's opinions of Naxos as an institution. Would Naxos be a popular school in today's world? Why, or why not?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What are the most outstanding differences in Helga Crane's presentation of herself in Denmark and in New York? Write about her transition from one facade to the other, and what she brought from one culture to the other. Did she blend in within any of the societal structures in which she chose to live? Why, or why not?

Essay Topic 2

From a woman's perspective, did Larsen break ground for or elevate women in her writing? For blacks? For black women? How did Larsen's characters portray women, in general? Was it constructive? Do the characters provide an example of strong, evolving womanhood? Why, or why not?

Essay Topic 3

Is there really such a place as Naxos? If not, trace the history of the first schools in the south that were strictly designed for African American students. Were they designed to uplift the black race, or to teach assimilation?Were they comparable to Naxos in terms of their goals and objectives? If so, in what ways?

(see the answer keys)

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