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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. How much older does the speaker like women in "Preference"?

2. What does the speaker claim the wine-maiden's lips are as sweet as in "Midnight Dancer"?

3. What sound does the speaker claim a dream deferred makes in "Dream Boogie"?

4. What caused Madam to abandon her barbecue stand?

5. How does the speaker first attempt suicide in "Life Is Fine"?

Short Essay Questions

1. How are men portrayed in the poems in "Lament Over Love"?

2. Why does the speaker in "Third Degree" confess to police?

3. What does the speaker in "Hard Daddy" want to be an eagle?

4. What is the reader left to assume about how Madam makes money in the poems about her?

5. What one notable thing does the poem "Daybreak" address in the "Magnolia Flowers" section that the others do not?

6. What are three sub-themes that appear in "Note on Commercial Theater"?

7. How does the speaker compare his relationship with the South and the North in "The South"?

8. What does the speaker in "High to Low" accuse the "low" African-Americans of doing?

9. How do the poems in "Life Is Fine" treat life's trials and tribulations?

10. What observation does the speaker make about the people riding the subway in "Subway Rush Hour"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

Compare and contrast the Negro Mother and Alberta Johnson, making sure to use direct quotations from the text in your essay.

Essay Topic 3

In a well-written essay, discuss 1) 3 reasons why it is important to know information about an author when analyzing a literary text and 2) one example for each reason of how knowing about Hughes helps the reader better understand a poem (or part of a poem) of your choosing.

(see the answer keys)

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