View a FREE sample

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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Who is the song for in "Genius Child"?
(a) A former professor of the speaker.
(b) The genius child himself.
(c) A student.
(d) The average child.

2. Which of the following does the speaker NOT claim to have been in "Negro"?
(a) A worker.
(b) A singer.
(c) A slave.
(d) A doctor.

3. When the speaker asks his lover if she understands him in "Maybe," what does she say?
(a) That she thought she would.
(b) That she didn't.
(c) Both of these answers are correct.
(d) Neither of these answers is correct.

4. What kind of cadence is "The Weary Blues" written in?
(a) The cadence of classical music.
(b) The cadence of a blues song.
(c) The cadence of rap music.
(d) The cadence of a sermon.

5. In "The Negro Speaks of Rivers," where does the speaker say he has been over time?
(a) All of these answers are correct.
(b) The Congo.
(c) The Euphrates.
(d) The Nile.

6. What is Big Boy going to do with the object on his shoulders in "Catch"?
(a) Marry her.
(b) Sell it at the market.
(c) Leave it at God's doorstep.
(d) Drop him off at school.

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

8. What does the woman's pain tell her to do in "Strange Hurt"?
(a) "You'll find rain better / Than shelter from the rain."
(b) "Go outside / To understand your inner turmoil."
(c) "Walk through the fire / To better know the rain."
(d) "Bathe in the river / As those before you have done."

9. Which two countries are mentioned in "Seascape"?
(a) Ireland and England.
(b) Peru and Cuba.
(c) Peru and England.
(d) American and Russia.

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

11. What major era did Hughes contribute to?
(a) The Birth of Slam Poetry.
(b) The Harlem Renaissance.
(c) The Novelists' Novelty Time.
(d) The Iron Age.

12. Who is playing music in "The Weary Blues"?
(a) A white man.
(b) A white woman.
(c) A black woman.
(d) A black man.

13. What is one common theme in the poems presented in the "Feet o' Jesus" section of "Selected Poems of Langston Hughes"?
(a) Money.
(b) New York City.
(c) Religion.
(d) Fame.

14. Which continent features most prominently in "Selected Poems of Langston Hughes"?
(a) Asia.
(b) Africa.
(c) South America.
(d) Europe.

15. What kind of music are tambourines often used in?
(a) Classical music.
(b) Irish music.
(c) Traditional Chinese music.
(d) Gospel music.

Short Answer Questions

1. What annoying habit of his Baby does the speaker address in "Morning After"?

2. Where did the speaker in "Late Last Night" sit and cry?

3. When does the musician finally stop playing in "The Weary Blues"?

4. What time does the speaker mention going down to the river in "Reverie on the Harlem River"?

5. What is the Indian merchantman doing in "Seascape"?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 509 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample