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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. For what was Mr. Barnes known in America?

2. Why did Hughes say he loved his patron?

3. After he returned to America from Italy, how much did Hughes figure his first European trip had cost him?

4. What magazine awarded Hughes his first poetry prize?

5. Why did Hughes return to New Orleans and leave his job on the ship running to and from Havana?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happened to Hughes on his was back to France that changed his travel plans?

2. How did Hughes describe the wedding of Countee Cullen? Why was the wedding the talk of Harlem for a time? How was Hughes involved?

3. How did Hughes conclude his story of the racial survey at Lincoln? What changes did he witness at the school and in how many years?

4. What happened to Hughes when his patron broke off their relationship?

5. Where was the Interracial Conference Hughes attended during his sophomore year located? What story did Hughes tell about this conference?

6. How did Hughes's patron feel about black in America? How did this manifest itself in her relationship with Hughes?

7. What did Florence do after the brawl at the Grand Duc? How did this affect the club and what did the owner finally do?

8. What was hazing at Lincoln University? What kinds of things did hazing involve? What was Hughes's initiation ritual for his fraternity?

9. Who was Gladys Bentley? How did Hughes describe her?

10. What poem did Hughes submit to "Opportunity" magazine owned by the National Urban League? What was the poem about? What happened to the poem that changes Hughes's life?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Hughes opened his autobiography with the line "Life is a big sea full of many fish. I let down my nets and pull" and closed it with "Literature is a big sea full of many fish. I let down my nets and pulled. I'm still pulling." Discuss these two statements and how they pertain to Hughes, his autobiography, and his life.

Essay Topic 2

Hughes described in detail a brawl in the Grand Duc involving a woman named Annette. There was a distinct theme and message Hughes was making in his retelling of the story. Discuss the brawl, what it was about, and what it stood for in Hughes's life. Why do you think Hughes did not jump into the brawl to fight?

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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