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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does the speaker encourage the reader to wonder about when down by the river?
(a) What (you) got left.
(b) The preciousness of children.
(c) How beautiful nature is.
(d) The power of love.

2. In the poem "Catch," what is Big Boy carrying on his shoulders?
(a) A basket of wheat.
(b) A mermaid.
(c) The weight of the world.
(d) His son.

3. Who is sitting in the amen-corner of the church in "Prayer Meeting"?
(a) A family.
(b) Jesus himself.
(c) A homeless man asking for help.
(d) An old black woman.

4. In "As I Grew Older," what does the speaker say he had nearly forgotten?
(a) His father.
(b) His dream.
(c) His wallet.
(d) His mother.

5. What does the speaker say is a strong thing in "Spirituals"?
(a) Nature.
(b) Hatred.
(c) Water.
(d) Song.

6. What is missing from the wall in "End"?
(a) Plans for what to do if there is a fire in the building.
(b) Photos.
(c) Wallpaper.
(d) Clocks.

7. What inanimate object speaks in "Heaven"?
(a) Books.
(b) Trees.
(c) Stones.
(d) Waterfalls.

8. What is curved beneath Big Boy's arm in "Catch"?
(a) The mermaid's tail.
(b) A Bible.
(c) A few extra-long pieces of wheat.
(d) His son's teddy bear.

9. What is the drum saying to life in "Drum"?
(a) "Come! / Come!"
(b) "Go! / Go!"
(c) "Run! / Run!"
(d) "Stay! / Stay!"

10. What is the sign that the speaker of "Bad Morning" is indeed having a bad morning?
(a) Mismated shoes.
(b) A note from his lover saying she's leaving.
(c) A broken-down car.
(d) Too many bills on the kitchen table.

11. In "Water-Front Streets," where does the speaker claim to carry "beauties"?
(a) In his photo album.
(b) In his diary.
(c) In his heart and dreams.
(d) In his mind and soul.

12. In the poem "Fire," who does the author say he has had more women than?
(a) Than the president had votes.
(b) Than Pharoah had wives.
(c) Than the forest had trees.
(d) Than the gardener had tomatoes.

13. What do the blues prevent the speaker from doing in "Miss Blues'es Child"?
(a) Singing well.
(b) Playing the trumpet well.
(c) Smiling.
(d) Earning money.

14. What did the speaker's mother say when life hurt her in the poem "Spirituals"?
(a) "Bless her soul, I can't forgive."
(b) "Gonna get even, just you wait!"
(c) "Ain't no sinner like a mean sinner!"
(d) "Gonna ride in my chariot some day!"

15. Who is the congregation crying out to in "Shout"?
(a) The other church across the street.
(b) The couple getting married that day.
(c) Jesus.
(d) The newspaper reporter.

Short Answer Questions

1. When was "Selected Poems of Langston Hughes" published?

2. What is Joy driving in "Joy"?

3. Who is playing music in "The Weary Blues"?

4. What are the tambourines being played for in "Tambourines"?

5. In the poem "Spirituals," what strong items does the speaker look to put his hands on?

(see the answer keys)

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