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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. Where are Hughes' plays performed?

2. For how long does "Don't You Want to Be Free?" run?

3. Is Langston interested in teaching after he has graduated college?

4. What happens when Hughes wakes the next morning?

5. How does this person feel about Langston's poem, "Goodbye Christ?"

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Aimie Semple McPherson say about Langston?

2. What difficulties exist for Langston after graduation?

3. Why does Langston write the poem "Tomorrow's Seed."

4. What poetry does Hughes write during this summer?

5. Why does Hughes travel to Spain?

6. What does Langston do, while he is in Chicago?

7. What happens to the movie for which Hughes had been asked to become a writer?

8. What does Langston do while in Carmel, California?

9. Describe Langston's poetry-reading tour.

10. What does Langston do when he returns to Harlem?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Hughes' work often gets him into trouble.

Part 1) Why does it get him into trouble?

Part 2) Would it get him into trouble today?

Part 3) Do writers and other artists today get themselves into trouble for the same issues Hughes got himself into trouble? Explain.

Essay Topic 2

Hughes' family life is unsettled.

Part 1) Describe his family life. Why is it so unsettled?

Part 2) How do his family dynamics affect him?

Part 3) How does the theme of a division between black and white play into this unsettled family?

Essay Topic 3

A theme found in much of Hughes' work is the optimism of humor.

Part 1) How is this a theme?

Part 2) How is humor optimistic? What does this reveal about Hughes?

Part 3) How might this theme draw readers to Hughes' work?

(see the answer keys)

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