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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. The poem "I, Too" is a response to a poem by which famous American poet?
(a) William Carlos Williams.
(b) e.e. cummings.
(c) Allen Ginsberg.
(d) Walt Whitman.

2. What type of business had the speaker of the poem "Madam's Past History" run for a while before moving on to a different business?
(a) A bar.
(b) A hair salon.
(c) A restaurant.
(d) A bookstore.

3. What advice does the gypsy give to the speaker of the poem entitled "Bad Luck Card"?
(a) To commit suicide.
(b) To pray.
(c) To place a knife underneath his bed.
(d) To find a lover.

4. What term does Hughes use to describe the Mexican Market Woman in the first line of the poem of the same title?
(a) Hag.
(b) Queen.
(c) Seer.
(d) Crone.

5. The poem "Daybreak in Alabama" features a speaker who hopes to one day be what?
(a) An adult.
(b) Married.
(c) A composer.
(d) Respected.

6. In the poem "Harlem Night Song," the speaker repeats that he wants the listener to perform what action with him?
(a) To win.
(b) To roam.
(c) To cry.
(d) To lose.

7. What tool does John Henry hold in his hand within the poem entitled "Love"?
(a) A scythe.
(b) An awl.
(c) A hoe.
(d) A hammer.

8. What literary technique is used throughout the poem "Ballad of the Fortune Teller"?
(a) Paradox.
(b) Simile.
(c) Hyperbole.
(d) Irony.

9. The poem entitled "Cross" focuses on the experience of what type of person?
(a) Enslaved.
(b) Biracial.
(c) Religious.
(d) Developmentally disabled.

10. The poem "America" focuses on which two marginalized groups?
(a) African-Americans and Jewish-Americans.
(b) African-Americans and women.
(c) African-Americans and gay people.
(d) African-Americans and Mexican-Americans.

11. How much money does the subject of the poem "Brass Spittoons" make per day?
(a) $1.
(b) 50 cents.
(c) $3.
(d) $2.

12. What is NOT a type of textual inclusion used within the lengthy poem entitled "Let America Be America Again"?
(a) Exclamation points.
(b) Semicolons.
(c) Italics.
(d) Parentheses.

13. What instrument does the subject of the poem "The Weary Blues" play?
(a) Violin.
(b) Bass.
(c) Piano.
(d) Drums.

14. The "bitter river" (50) in the poem of the same name is said to "reflect no" (50) what?
(a) Sunshine.
(b) Justice.
(c) Stars.
(d) Faces.

15. What type of literary device is used throughout the poem entitled "Joy"?
(a) Personification.
(b) Allusion.
(c) Metaphor.
(d) Onomatopeia.

Short Answer Questions

1. How old were the two boys to whom the poem "The Bitter River" is dedicated?

2. The poem entitled "Share-Croppers" contains how many stanzas?

3. To whom does the speaker of the poem "The Negro Mother" speak?

4. Which of the following voices is NOT represented within the poem entitled "Let America Be America Again"?

5. The second poem within Vintage Hughes focuses on the stories of whom?

(see the answer keys)

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