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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 neighborhood in Paris did Hughes walk through to look for a job and a place to live?

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

3. Where did Hughes meet Frau Schultz?

4. With whom did Hughes stay his first night in New York City?

5. Why did Hughes turn down Alain Locke's request to meet with him?

Short Essay Questions

1. After leaving college, what jobs did Hughes try to get? What job did he end up getting?

2. What happened when Hughes picked up Jocko from the pet shop in New York? How did he raise the money to get home?

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

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

5. How did Hughes convince his father to allow him to attend Columbia University in New York? When did Hughes leave Mexico for college?

6. Who was Florence Embry Jones? Who were some of the musicians Hughes heard because of Florence?

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

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

9. What was the ritual on the S.S. Malone when the ship crossed the equator?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Hughes decided to attend Lincoln University, an all black college, when he received a scholarship. How was his experience at Lincoln different than that of Columbia University? What did Hughes identify as a major problem at Lincoln, and what did he attempt to do about it? Was he successful?

Essay Topic 2

Hughes met a child, Edward, while in an African port. Hughes said his meetings with Edward inspired his best short story "African Morning." What was Edward's story? Why did Hughes find Edward's situation especially painful? Why did his encounter with Edward inspire a story?

Essay Topic 3

There were two singers at the Grand Duc while Hughes worked there: Florence Embry Jones and Bricktop Ada Smith. Both were excellent jazz singers and two very different women. Compare the two singers, what they offered the Grand Duc, and how they affected Hughes while he worked there.

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