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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. When Sandy tires of listening to the other men, what does he do?

2. Hager claims that in the world there is room for _______________.

3. What is the first thing Tempy gives Sandy?

4. The story then flashes back _______ days when Sandy came home from work.

5. Once when Sandy was shining the shoes of a drunken bunch of white men, one of them, a Southerner, told Sandy to do what?

Short Essay Questions

1. How has Harriett grown up? How is this revealed in what she says to Sandy and Annjee?

2. How does Sandy's life change after Hager's death?

3. Should Sandy have dumped Pansetta?

4. How does Sandy change when he begins to focus on his education? Is this good or bad?

5. Describe Hager's funeral.

6. What takes place in the Pool Hall? Why?

7. What is the other major event in this chapter? Are you surprised by this? Why or why not?

8. How does Hager react to the unfair treatment of Sandy and his friends? Do you agree? Why or why not?

9. In "Children's Day," how does inequality even affect African American children?

10. How does the reader learn Hager's importance in the community?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Each of Aunt Hager's children leave her.

Part 1) Describe each of Aunt Hager's children. When and why do they leave her? How does this affect her? How does their leaving affect them? How does their leaving affect others in the story? Should they have left? Why or why not?

Part 2) When do the children return? Why do they return? What does this return reveal about them, Hager, and their relationship to Hager and to each other?

Part 3) Do all children leave their parents? Why or why not? Should children leave their parents and fend for themselves? Why or why not? Do you envision yourself leaving your family? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

The book ends with Harriet supporting Sandy's decision to complete his education.

Part 1) How does the story evolve to this point? Why might the book end in this way?

Part 2) Is this a good way to end the story? Why or why not? If you could change the ending, what would you do?

Part 3) What does this ending say about the purpose of the book? What does it say about Langston Hughes, himself?

Essay Topic 3

A bout of the mumps changes Sandy's life.

Part 1) Describe this event in the book. Why is this period of Sandy's life so influential? Why had this not taken place before? Why does it have such a lasting effect on Sandy?

Part 2) What other events drastically change the characters in this story? Why are these events so powerful? How important are these events to the plot and outcome of the story?

Part 3) What event has occurred in your life that has had a lasting effect on you? How have you been affected by it? How might this one event change the course of your future?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,031 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample