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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. On his first day in Paris, where did Hughes go?

2. How old was Hughes when he sailed away from America?

3. How did Hughes begin earning his own money while he lived with his father?

4. How long was the sail to Africa from New York?

5. How many ports along the west African shore did the S.S. Malone visit?

Short Essay Questions

1. While sailing along the African shore, what did the crew do from port to port? What did Hughes realize about the black Africans?

2. What was Hughes's ethnic heritage? How did this affect his travels in Africa?

3. How did Hughes meet someone in Paris who helped him find a place to stay, and who was the person? What was the surprise Hughes found when he went up to his room?

4. Who did Hughes stand in line to see at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York? What did he think of the performance?

5. What were some of the sights and sounds Hughes witnessed upon entering New York waters? How did he react to them?

6. How did Hughes begin writing poetry? Did he like writing poetry? What was his style of poetry?

7. Why did Hughes throw all of his books overboard while traveling to Africa? What did this act symbolize?

8. Who were the Reeds? Why did Hughes know them? What important event in Hughes's life as a young child happened while he knew the Reeds?

9. What did Hughes notice about the way Mexicans and Negros were treated differently, particularly on his way home from Mexico to Cleveland, Ohio?

10. What was Hughes's life like during his senior year in high school, which was also the end of the war?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Hughes wrote the book "Not Without Laughter" during the summer after his junior year at Lincoln University. What was the book about, and what did it mean to Hughes? What does the phrase "not without laughter" mean and why was it fitting for this novel?

Essay Topic 2

In his autobiography, Hughes only mentions two women in whom he was romantically interested: Suzanna Jones from high school and Mary in Paris. The more important relationship was with Mary. Discuss their relationship. Who was Mary, and how did they meet? Did Hughes reveal how he really felt about Mary? What happened to their love affair, and how did it affect Hughes?

Essay Topic 3

In the spring of 1927, the Mississippi River overflowed and caused flooding in cities all along its banks in the South. Discuss Hughes's trip South and his reactions to this part of the country particularly to the treatment of blacks in the South as epitomized by the events in Baton Rouge.

(see the answer keys)

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