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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 inappropriate fashion item do the pimps wear in "What?"

2. Which two countries are mentioned in "Seascape"?

3. When did Langston Hughes live?

4. In "Water-Front Streets," where does the speaker claim to carry "beauties"?

5. What does the speaker comment about one's sweetheart in "Reverie on the Harlem River"?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Hughes write in the introduction before the poem "Sunday Morning Prophecy" begins?

2. Who is gathered up in the poem "Litany"?

3. What does the poem "Drum" portray Death's eventuality as?

4. What advice does the gypsy give the speaker in "Bad Luck Card"?

5. Why do some African-Americans have a complicated relationship with Christianity, at least as is represented in "Selected Poems of Langston Hughes"?

6. What does the use of the word "fragment" in a poem title imply?

7. What are the two characters quarreling about in "Early Evening Quarrel"?

8. What exactly is the "amen-corner" mentioned in the poem "Prayer-Meeting"?

9. In "Afro-American Fragment" (the poem), what does the author imply is being fragmented?

10. Why is the speaker so surprised by his girlfriend's snoring in "Morning After"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In a well-written essay, discuss 1) 3 reasons why it is important to know information about an author when analyzing a literary text and 2) one example for each reason of how knowing about Hughes helps the reader better understand a poem (or part of a poem) of your choosing.

Essay Topic 2

"Ennui" is an incredibly short but very powerful poem. Analyze Hughes's choice in diction for the poem and why he chose the words he did in a poem of such brevity. (Make sure to also address the title as one of Hughes's word choices.)

Essay Topic 3

Compare and contrast 2 poems in the section "Lament Over Love," paying particular attention to their portrayal of men.

(see the answer keys)

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