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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. The speaker of the poem "Heart of Harlem" describes Harlem as "the kid you hope will grow up" (73) what?

2. In the poem entitled "Words Like Freedom," what other word in the poem is italicized, besides the word "freedom" (67)?

3. The poem entitled "Cross" focuses on the experience of what type of person?

4. For what reason does the speaker of the poem "Madam and the Rent Man" refuse to pay rent?

5. 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?

Short Essay Questions

1. In what way is repetition used within the poem entitled "Brass Spittoons"?

2. In the poem entitled "Widow Woman," how is the technique of hyperbole utilized?

3. The poem "Madam and Her Madam" utilizes humor in what way?

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

5. In what way are the themes of brutality and oppression intertwined within the poem "Ku Klux"?

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

7. With what countries does the speaker of the poem "Good Morning Revolution" ally himself?

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

9. What types of sensory details are featured within the poem entitled "Graduation," and for what purpose are these details included?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss how and why Hughes instills three different humanist messages into the collection entitled Vintage Hughes.

Essay Topic 2

Look carefully at the passages and poems within the collection that demonstrate the damaging nature of the exoticism of black people within America. What is the author's purpose for discussing at length the nature of the connection between racism and the exoticism of African-Americans within society?

Essay Topic 3

Explicate the theme of hope within the collection Vintage Hughes. What is Hughes’s message regarding hope and how do you know?

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