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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. Where is the dream a cocktail at in "Havana Dreams"?

2. When did Langston Hughes live?

3. In the poem "Fire," who does the author say he has had more women than?

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

5. What does the word "tom-toms" refer to in "Danse Africaine"?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is a Black Maria?

2. What kind of feeling does "Dream Variations" help the "Afro-American Fragment" section conclude with?

3. What do many of the poems in the "Afro-American Fragment" section of "Selected Poems of Langston Hughes" have an undercurrent of?

4. What is the Harlem Renaissance known for?

5. Why do some African-Americans have a complicated relationship with Christianity, at least as is represented in "Selected Poems of Langston Hughes"?

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

7. What advice does the gypsy give the speaker in "Bad Luck Card"?

8. What exactly is "jazz style" poetry?

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

10. What is the poem "Fulfilment" about?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Select one poem from "Selected Poems of Langston Hughes" and discuss 1) why Hughes gave it the title he did and 2) what Hughes wants to convey through the title of that poem.

Essay Topic 2

Analyze Sylvester in "Sylvester's Death Bed" and discuss 1) the role(s) women play in the poem, 2) Sylvester's attitude about the women surrounding him, and 3) the meaning behind why Sylvester dies right before he is able to "hug 'em."

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the role the blues plays in "Selected Poems of Langston Hughes," using at least 3 poems as evidence to support your thesis.

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