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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 did the speaker's lover also pawn when he/she pawned the speaker's watch?

2. In the poem "Catch," what is Big Boy carrying on his shoulders?

3. Where does the playboy mentioned in "Gone Boy" NOT go at the end of the poem?

4. When was "Selected Poems of Langston Hughes" published?

5. What does the speaker see in "Seascape"?

Short Essay Questions

1. What theme unites the poems in "Distance Nowhere"?

2. What is the Harlem Renaissance known for?

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

4. What exactly is the Black Pierrot mentioned in the poem of the same name?

5. What kind of imagery is most prevalent in the poems in the section "Sea and Land"?

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

7. What kind of feeling does "Dream Variations" help the "Afro-American Fragment" section conclude with?

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

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

10. For how long does the speaker in "Evil" plan to "keep on at it"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In a well-written essay, discuss the symbolism, imagery, and diction Hughes uses in "March Moon."

Essay Topic 2

Analyze the preacher that appears in "Sunday Morning Prophecy." Is he a good preacher? Bad preacher? Are his efforts to encourage his congregants to give freely in the collection plate altruistic or greedy? Is he helpful or judgmental (or both) of his congregants and congregation?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss how the poem "Early Evening Quarrel" can be analyzed as a vignette that addresses the larger themes (particularly those of romance and the dynamics between men and women) present in "Selected Poems of Langston Hughes."

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