Langston Hughes

Multiple Choice

In the opening lines of “I, Too,” the speaker says, “They send me to eat in the kitchen / When company comes.” What does the kitchen most strongly symbolize?

• Poverty and hunger

• Domestic comfort

• Segregation and marginalization

• Family unity

Multiple Choice

The line “Tomorrow, I’ll be at the table / When company comes” primarily conveys:

• Acceptance of current conditions

• Hope for equality and inclusion

• Desire for solitude

• Fear of confrontation

Multiple Choice

How does the tone shift from the beginning to the end of “I, Too”?

• From anger to forgiveness

• From quiet endurance to confident assertion

• From joy to sorrow

• From confusion to clarity

Multiple Choice

Which literary technique strengthens the poem’s message of resilience and civil rights struggle?

• Complex metaphors and irony

• Repetition and concise diction

• Extended similes and hyperbole

• Alliteration and rhyme scheme

Multiple Choice

The speaker feels a deep connection to...

• the future

• the rivers

• the ancient cities

• the earth

Multiple Choice

How does the repeating structure of the lines in the first stanza contribute to the meaning of the poem?

• By connecting the speaker to historical rivers

• By describing how rivers have changed over time

• By showing why the rivers can cause people to dream

• By explaining why the speaker has abandoned the rivers

Multiple Choice

In “Refugee in America,” the words “Freedom” and “Liberty” are described as “sweet and wonderful to say.” What does this suggest about Hughes’s view of these concepts?

• They are meaningless in everyday life

• They are powerful ideals that evoke deep emotion

• They are outdated and irrelevant

• They are privileges only for the wealthy

Multiple Choice

The line “If you had known what I knew / You would know why” most strongly reflects which theme?

• Protest against injustice through personal experience

• Celebration of universal equality

• Indifference toward social change

• Advocacy for isolation

Multiple Choice

In “Dream Variations,” the speaker’s desire to “fling my arms wide / In the face of the sun” symbolizes:

• Exhaustion and defeat

• Joy, freedom, and empowerment

• Anger toward nature

• Desire for wealth

Multiple Choice

The repetition of “Dance! Whirl! Whirl!” in the poem primarily serves to:

• Emphasize monotony in life

• Reinforce the speaker’s protest against racial limitations

• Suggest a lack of control
  

• Indicate fear of change