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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. What does Hughes do before leaving for Paris?

2. How does Fisk College reward Hughes for reading his poems at their college?

3. When Fire is finally published at the end of the summer, how is it received?

4. What does Hughes do when he returns to Moscow?

5. When do Langston and his friend set off for the South?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Aimie Semple McPherson say about Langston?

2. What happens after Langston returns to New York City?

3. What does Langston do with the money he earns from the movie?

4. What is significant about "Don't You Want to Be Free?"

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

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

7. What does Langston do after his first year at Lincoln?

8. Describe Langston's poetry-reading tour.

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

10. What difficulties exist for Langston after graduation?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Langston goes on a poetry-reading tour.

Part 1) Describe this tour. Why does he go on this tour?

Part 2) How does he affect those to which he speaks? Why?

Part 3) How is Hughes affected by the people to which he speaks and meets?

Part 4) How does racism continue to play a role in Hughes' life during this time?

Essay Topic 2

Hughes throws his books over the edge of a ship.

Part 1) Why had a brought the books along? Why does he throw them overboard?

Part 2) What causes this decision? How does this action reflect his view of life and his work?

Part 3) What does this reveal about his beliefs about his trip to Africa?

Essay Topic 3

Hughes says he begins writing poetry because "he could not help himself."

Part 1) Why does he not have this attitude early on in life?

Part 2) What causes this change?

Part 3) How does this type of attitude lead him through his life?

(see the answer keys)

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