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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 did Hughes find true about Lincoln University that was also true about American life?

2. When and why was Hughes invited to Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee?

3. What new hotel opened in New York, did not allow Negroes to work or to stay as guests, that inspired Hughes to write a poem about it?

4. When Hughes entered Lincoln, what was the racial make-up of the Board of Trustees?

5. Who did Hughes think of during his lunch with Mr. Barnes?

Short Essay Questions

1. What benefit cabaret was hosted by the NAACP to which Hughes was invited? Who did he meet there? Who was singing at the club when he entered?

2. Who did Hughes call the "great Harlem party giver?" How did Hughes describe the parties and the hostess?

3. What event brought Hughes to the South in 1927? How did he react to the South and southern cities?

4. 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?

5. What survey did Hughes conduct at his college during his senior year? Why was this issue important to Hughes?

6. How did Hughes compare Bricktop Ada Smith and Florence? How were the two women different?

7. What was the "Messenger"? Who ran it? Why was the editor and the "Messenger" important to Hughes?

8. Who was Bruce? Why did he become upset at work? What happened when the boss fired him? How did this affect Hughes?

9. Why did Hughes travel to Italy for the summer? Where did he stay?

10. What was "Not Without Laughter"? Why was it important in Hughes's life?

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

While in Washington D.C., Hughes found himself face to face with Vachel Lindsay. Describe the meeting of the two men. Why was this meeting important to Hughes's career? What was the story of the "bus boy poet"? There was a particular irony of Hughes's meeting Lindsay at the Wardman Park Hotel. What was that irony?

Essay Topic 3

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?

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