View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Helga's aunt Katrina wants Helga to

2. Anne Grey symbolizes

3. When Helga sees Audrey Denny with Dr. Anderson, she feels

4. The staging of Helga by her aunt and uncle make Helga feel like

5. Helga's attempt to overcome her loneliness in Harlem has resulted in

Short Essay Questions

1. Discuss Helga's newly emerging feelings about the black population around her in New York. What might this mean about Helga?

2. Do we know why Helga loses interest in her present lifestyle? How would you assess Helga if you were her friend or counselor?

3. Why does Helga feel free on the ship on her way to Denmark? Does being isolated in the middle of the ocean have any effect on her? If so, what?

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

5. What is Helga's reasoning for not wanting children? Is this just a defense mechanism on her part? Why, or why not?

6. Describe Helga's lifestyle as a teacher. Is it unusual? Why or why not?

7. Why does Helga return to Harlem? Discuss her newfound spiritual ties to the black population here. Is it the same connection she felt before? Why, or why not?

8. What is it about African Americans that Helga hates? Is this opinion of hers new, or has she felt this way for some time? What causes her to draw this conclusion?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay about the music in Harlem during the 1920s, including popular musicians and their audiences. Do some of the same venues still exist there? Does the traditional music of the 1920s still exist there? What permanent mark did early Harlem leave on music, if any?

Essay Topic 2

Determine the meaning of the word "outre" and explain how the concept is used in Larsen's descriptions of Helga Crane. Did Helga play the peacock role well? Did she enjoy it? Can you think of other examples of people being so different from others in their environment, that their only option is to expand on those differences? Explain your answers.

Essay Topic 3

Research and write about Harlem in the 1920s. What made Harlem the haven it became for African Americans? What kinds of people lived there? What was the basic economic structure at that time? Did people generally live in Harlem and work outside, or vice versa? Was black Harlem closed to white folks?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,417 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample