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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. The speaker of the poem "Merry-Go-Round" asks about the whereabouts of what section on the Merry-Go-Round?
(a) The Jim Crow section.
(b) The children's section.
(c) The colored section.
(d) The dragon section.

2. The "bitter river" (50) in the poem of the same name is said to "reflect no" (50) what?
(a) Sunshine.
(b) Faces.
(c) Justice.
(d) Stars.

3. The speaker of the poem "Good Morning Revolution" suggests that soon all but which of the following will be true?
(a) No one will be oppressed.
(b) No one will be cold.
(c) No one will be taken for granted.
(d) No one will be hungry.

4. The speaker of the poem entitled "The Negro Speaks of Rivers" uses a simile to state that what object of his has "grown deep like the rivers" (3)?
(a) His mind.
(b) His soul.
(c) His aura.
(d) His passion.

5. What term does Hughes use to describe the Mexican Market Woman in the first line of the poem of the same title?
(a) Crone.
(b) Seer.
(c) Queen.
(d) Hag.

6. The poem "America" focuses on which two marginalized groups?
(a) African-Americans and Jewish-Americans.
(b) African-Americans and gay people.
(c) African-Americans and women.
(d) African-Americans and Mexican-Americans.

7. What literary technique is used throughout the poem "Ballad of the Fortune Teller"?
(a) Simile.
(b) Hyperbole.
(c) Irony.
(d) Paradox.

8. The poem entitled "Snail" states that the snail knows two things. What are they?
(a) Sun and rain.
(b) Roses and grass.
(c) Weather and roses.
(d) Sky and sand.

9. What adjective is used to describe the place to which the Ku Klux Klan members take the speaker of the poem entitled "Ku Klux"?
(a) Bereft.
(b) Crowded.
(c) Dark.
(d) Lonesome.

10. What is the main metaphor running through the narrative of the poem "Mother to Son"?
(a) Telephones.
(b) Stairs.
(c) Sunshine.
(d) Clouds.

11. The poem entitled "Share-Croppers" has stanzas that contain how many lines within each?
(a) 6.
(b) 4.
(c) 3.
(d) 8.

12. The poem with a title that includes the words "The Raid" (33) also includes what date?
(a) December 16th.
(b) April 16th.
(c) November 16th.
(d) October 16th.

13. What type of crop is being harvested in the poem entitled "Share-Croppers"?
(a) Wheat.
(b) Blueberries.
(c) Cotton.
(d) Corn.

14. What country is NOT mentioned within the poem entitled "Good Morning Revolution"?
(a) China.
(b) Cuba.
(c) Poland.
(d) Africa.

15. What tool does John Henry hold in his hand within the poem entitled "Love"?
(a) An awl.
(b) A hammer.
(c) A hoe.
(d) A scythe.

Short Answer Questions

1. In what position is the subject of the poem "Troubled Woman"?

2. The speaker of the poem "The South" says at the end of the poem that he will soon seek the North, for he has heard it said that the North is what?

3. What instrument does the subject of the poem "The Weary Blues" play?

4. The speaker of the poem "Negro" states that he has been a singer "all the way from Africa" (5) to where?

5. The speaker of the poem "Heart of Harlem" describes Harlem as "a tear you turn into a" (73) what?

(see the answer keys)

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