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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. Which member of the family disapproves of John's desire to travel?

2. What action does Isis take when a member of her family catches her dancing at the carnival?

3. What text is used to condemn the actions of the man who used violence to steal a turkey in "The Bone of Contention"?

4. With which writer did Zora Neale Hurston have a falling-out, according to the text's introduction?

5. In what year was Zora Neale Hurston's famous novel Their Eyes Were Watching God published?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the symbolism of the tablecloth featured in the story "Drenched in Light"?

2. Discuss the significane of the final line of the story entitled "The Conversion of Sam."

3. With which literary movement is Zora Neale Hurston most closely associated and why?

4. What does Spunk's Stetson hat represent within the story entitled "Spunk"?

5. Describe the ten-year-old protagonist of the story "John Redding Goes to Sea," as he is introduced at the beginning of the story.

6. In what way does the story entitled "A Bit of Harlem" put forth an argument about the need for intersectionality when it comes to the discussion of race?

7. How does Joe Kanty meet his end in the story entitled "Spunk"?

8. Describe the end of Bentley's life.

9. Discuss the purpose behind Hurston's use of a frame structure to present the story entitled "Magnolia Flower."

10. In what way is the theme of family bonds depicted in the story entitled "John Redding Goes to Sea"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay examining how the text portrays the American Dream. Is there one American Dream or are there many different ones, according to Hurston? What is the text saying about the American dream in the early twentieth century?

Essay Topic 2

What is Hurston's message about the relationship between poverty and racism within the collection Hitting a Straight Lick With a Crooked Stick?

Essay Topic 3

What is Hurston’s message regarding the connection between anger and productivity and what tools are used within Hitting a Straight Lick With a Crooked Stick in order to get this message across to the reader?

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