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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 did Hughes, his mother, and his grandmother go to meet his father?

2. In whose honor was the first burial at sea Hughes participated in?

3. What was the S.S. Malone's only port of call in the Azores?

4. Who did Hughes want to see performing at the Metropolitan Opera House upon his return to New York?

5. What was the name of the children's play Hughes wrote and published in the "Brownie Book"?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. 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?

4. Where did Hughes find a more permanent job in Paris? What were his initial job duties? What important new perk did this job offer him?

5. What were James Hughes's plans for his son? How did they differ from what Hughes wanted for himself?

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

7. How did Hughes react to being thought of as Mexican on his way home from Mexico? How did he use this misidentity to his advantage?

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

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

10. Who was Jocko? Where did he come from? Where did he live?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

Hughes remained in Mexico for a year while earning the money to leave the country. What had transpired between Hughes and his father that set Hughes on a plan to leave Mexico? What was Hughes's goal while he was there, and how did he go about reaching that goal? Discuss how this plan affected Hughes's life as a man.

Essay Topic 3

When Hughes boarded the S.S. Malone, he brought a box with him on the ship. One night shortly after the ship embarked on its journey to Africa, Hughes dumped the contents of his box into the ocean. This was an important event in Hughes' life. What was in the box that was thrown overboard, and why did Hughes toss everything into the ocean? What did he hope to change in his life by this symbolic act?

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