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

2. What does Big Boy want his woman to share with him in "50-50"?

3. In "Sunday Morning Prophecy," where does the preacher encourage the congregants to give freely?

4. What major era did Hughes contribute to?

5. Who is sitting in the amen-corner of the church in "Prayer Meeting"?

Short Essay Questions

1. What exactly is the Black Pierrot mentioned in the poem of the same name?

2. What simile is used in "Lover's Return"?

3. What does the use of the word "fragment" in a poem title imply?

4. What theme unites the poems in "Distance Nowhere"?

5. Why is the speaker so surprised by his girlfriend's snoring in "Morning After"?

6. What is a Black Maria?

7. What are the two characters quarreling about in "Early Evening Quarrel"?

8. What is the poem "Fulfilment" about?

9. What kinds of objects are referenced in "Spirituals"?

10. Who is gathered up in the poem "Litany"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss why Hughes decided to name the section of "Selected Poems of Langston Hughes" that deals with the American South "Magnolia Flowers." Make sure to address the symbolism and imagery of a magnolia that Hughes taps into.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss 3 rhetorical devices Hughes uses to transform the historical person Billie Holiday to the literary person in the poem of the same name.

Essay Topic 3

What message is Hughes trying to convey to the reader in "Genius Child" and what impact is Hughes creating (with the reader) to accompany his intended message? Additionally, list at least 2 literary devices Hughes uses in this poem to convey his meaning.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 664 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample