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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. 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 bookstore.
(b) A bar.
(c) A hair salon.
(d) A restaurant.

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

3. The speaker of the poem entitled "The South" says that the South smells of what scent?
(a) Clean laundry.
(b) Magnolias.
(c) Oppression.
(d) Gumbo.

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

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

Short Answer Questions

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

2. From what object were the two boys hung to whom the poem "The Bitter River" is dedicated?

3. What type of crop is being harvested in the poem entitled "Share-Croppers"?

4. What term does Hughes use to describe the Mexican Market Woman in the first line of the poem of the same title?

5. The poem entitled "Share-Croppers" has stanzas that contain how many lines within each?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the Existential viewpoint of the poem entitled "I Dream a World"?

2. Which two marginalized groups are focused upon within the poem "America"?

3. What question lies at the heart of the poem entitled "Ku Klux" and to whom is the question being asked?

4. What is the main literary device Hughes uses within the poem entitled "Joy"?

5. In what way is the theme of peace depicted in the poem called "Death of an Old Seaman"?

6. In what way is the water motif included within the very first poem in the collection?

7. How are sensory details incorporated into the poem "Daybreak in Alabama" and for what purpose?

8. How is the theme of family bonds depicted within the poem entitled "Mother to Son"?

9. In what way is the theme of isolation depicted within the poem entitled "Little Old Letter"?

10. In what way are sensory details used within the poem entitled "Harlem Night Song"?

(see the answer keys)

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