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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. What does Joe clutch in his hand in Chapter 2?

2. Why does Elijah think Spunk is seeing Lena?

3. How do the men treat Joe when he comes into the store?

4. Who do Elijah and Walter see walking down the street in Chapter 1?

5. What is Spunk's last name?

Short Essay Questions

1. How do others in the town treat Spunk? Why do they treat him this way?

2. Why do you think the court decided that Spunk acted out of self-defense?

3. What offer from Spunk does Lena refuse in Chapter 1? Why do you think she does this?

4. How does the point of view affect the reader's perspective in Chapter 1?

5. From whose perspective is Chapter 3 told?

6. What does Spunk seem to think the bobcat is?

7. Who is the winner of Hurston's story? How so?

8. At what point does Spunk become paranoid that Joe is haunting him? How does this relate to his occupation?

9. Who is your favorite character in Chapter 1? Why?

10. How does Spunk's occupation seem to be appropriate for his character?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does Hurston incorporate the concept of man versus self in the novel? Which character do you think is the best example of man versus self, and why?

Essay Topic 2

Identify at least three instances of foreshadowing in Hurston's novel. Why would these instances be included? How would the story change if they had not been included?

Essay Topic 3

Identify the climax of this story and the series of events leading up to the climax. How did characters respond to the climax? What did Hurston include in the story to insure that the climax would be as powerful and meaningful as possible?

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