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Their Eyes Were Watching God by Sora Neale Hurston

Total questions: 79

Worksheet time: 43mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Zora Neale Hurston was known as the first Black American to do what?

a)

Stay on a bus to prove that segregation was wrong

b)

Was a huge supporter of Martin Luther King Jr.

c)

Is noted as the first Black American to collect and publish African American and Afro-Caribbean folklore

2.

Where was Zora Neale Hurston born?

a)

Alabama

b)

Florida

c)

Georgia

d)

New York

3.

Where did Zora Neale Hurston move with her family early in her life?

a)

New Smyrna Beach, Florida

b)

Eatonville, Florida

c)

Daytona Beach, Florida

d)

Trick question, she never left her birth state

4.

How old was Zora Neale Hurston when her mother died?

a)

20

b)

13

c)

36

d)

5

5.

What did Zora Neale Hurston study at Columbia University?

a)

Biology

b)

African-American Folklore

c)

Anthropology

d)

She never went to college even though she really wanted to.

6.

What is considered the most powerful novel that Hurston had written?

a)

Their Eyes Were Watching God

b)

Harlem Renaissance

c)

She was a musician not a novelist.

d)

I've Got the Map of Florida on my Tongue

7.

Who is the main character?

a)

Jainie Crawford

b)

Teacake

c)

Pheoby Watson

d)

Nanny

8.

Identify Tea Cake

a)

Janie's first kiss

b)

Janie's first husband

c)

Janie's second husband

d)

Janie's third husband

9.

Identify Joe Starks

a)

Janie's first kiss

b)

Janie's first husband

c)

Janie's second husband

d)

Janie's third husband

10.

Identify Logan Killicks

a)

Janie's first kiss

b)

Janie's first husband

c)

Janie's second husband

d)

Janie's third husband

11.

Identify Pheoby Watson

a)

Janie's best friend who died at the end of the story

b)

Janie's former best friend who cheated with Joe

c)

Janie's best friend to whom she is telling the story

d)

Janie's sworn enemy who tries to steal Tea Cake

12.

Why does Nanny force Janie to marry Logan?

a)

She won't be around to protect Janie forever

b)

Logan is a well-liked and respected man

c)

Logan is financially secure and has 60 acres

d)

All of the above

13.

Where do Janie and Tea Cake run off to after they get married?

a)

Orlando

b)

Everglades

c)

Palm Beach

d)

New Orleans

14.

Where is Janie returning to at the beginning of the novel? (Hint - This is where Zora Neale Hurston grew up)

a)

Eatonville

b)

Orlando

c)

Jacksonville

d)

Palm Beach

15.

Meaning: A little war of defense for helpless things was going on inside her. People ought to have some regard for helpless things (Hurston 57).

a)

Janie liked helping animals.

b)

Janie valued all life.

c)

Janie recognized Jody was a good man.

d)

Janie's statement is a larger symbolic representation of humanity helping those less fortunate, human and animal.

16.

Why does Janie get a job picking crops?

a)

They need the money because she's broke now

b)

Tea Cake is unable to work

c)

She wants to be with Tea Cake all day

d)

She's saving money for a car

17.
Why does Tea Cake want to stay on the muck?
a)
a.  He does not want to leave Janie.
b)
b.  He does not like moving around.
c)
c.  He is not afraid of hurricanes.
d)
d.  He does not want to lose a day of work.
18.

What did Janie do with Tea Cake the first day they met?

a)

they went fishing

b)

they went dancing

c)

they played checkers

d)

they got married

19.

What is Tea Cake's real name?

a)

Tea Cake

b)

Vergible Woods

c)

Vergible Hurston

d)

Joseph Starks

20.

Why does Janie enjoy fishing in the middle of the night?

a)

she loves eating fish for breakfast

b)

it reminds her of her childhood

c)

it feels like she is a child breaking rules

21.

Why do people not approve of Janie seeing Tea Cake?

a)

he is younger and doesn't have money

b)

they know that Janie doesn't love him

c)

he is older and doesn't have money

22.

Why does Janie want to sell the store?

a)

she needs the money to leave town

b)

she is afraid the town will compare Tea Cake to Joe Starks

c)

Tea Cake asked her to sell it

d)

she hated Joe

23.

What was NOT a sign that the hurricane was coming?

a)

the wind stopped

b)

the animals were leaving

c)

the Seminoles were leaving

d)

it started hailing and raining

24.

What does Janie do after Joe's death?

a)

Gives an elaborate funeral for him, dresses appropriately, and then burns her headrags.

b)

Leaves Eatonville and vows never to return.

c)

Tells the entire town how brutal he was.

d)

Builds a monument to him to recognize his contributions to Eatonville.

25.

What does the Horizon mean for Janie?

a)

All the possibles that life has to offer.

b)

That time is running short and she needs to be happy.

c)

Love is only available to a certain few.

26.

What two things does Janie tell Phoeby at the end?

a)

A person's got to go to God, and got to find out about living for themselves.

b)

Shopping and good chips and salsa cure any aliment.

c)

Marriage won't make you fall in love with someone, but love must come first

d)

Hope and the horizon are always with us.

27.
In Chapter 1 of Their Eyes Were Watching God, the women of Eatonville gossip about Janie because _____.
a)
she gets pregnant before getting married
b)
she has returned to town after running off with a younger man
c)
she is cheating on her husband, Joe Starks
d)
she has gone bankrupt
28.
Who do we learn is dead in Chapter 4?
a)
Phoeby
b)
Nanny
c)
Logan
d)
Joe
29.
How old was was Janie when she realized she was not white?
a)
8
b)
10
c)
6
d)
13
30.
When Nanny says "[y]ou don't even know where harm is at", what does this show about Janie's character?
a)
She is worldly.
b)
She is ignorant.
c)
Nothing. It shows that Nanny is close to death.
d)
She is naive.
31.
In Chapter 3 of Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie goes to visit her grandmother after she marries Logan because _____.
a)
Logan is beating her
b)
she wants to tell her grandmother she is pregnant
c)
her grandmother is sick
d)
she is disappointed that she doesn't love Logan
32.
What did Janie have trouble with when she was working at the store?
a)
Working the register
b)
Math and Cutting Tobacco
c)
Talking to customers
d)
Getting along with Joe
33.
What did Jody compare women to?
a)
Cows
b)
Dogs
c)
Children
d)
Chickens, cows, and children
34.
What does Joe make Janie do with her hair?
a)
Cut it
b)
Nothing
c)
Tie it up
d)
Color it
35.
In Chapter 5, when the crowd asked Janie to speak, Joe refused and told them that Janie's "place" was where?
a)
By her man's side
b)
In the kitchen
c)
In the shop
d)
In the home
36.
Who is symbolized by a pear tree to Janie?
a)
Logan
b)
Johnny Taylor
c)
Joe
d)
Tea Cake
37.
In the Everglades, Janie learns to do which of the following?
a)
Shoot a gun.
b)
Gamble.
c)
Cook.
d)
Sew.
38.
Janie and Tea Cake are forced out of their home in the Everglades by which of the following?
a)
White people
b)
A hurricane
c)
A tornado
d)
A rabid dog
39.
Who only wanted security and a good life for Janie?
a)
Joe
b)
Tea Cake
c)
Logan
d)
Nanny
40.
To Nanny, Logan Killicks represents which of the following?
a)
Evil
b)
Security
c)
Danger
d)
Romance
41.
Joe convinces Janie to do which of the following?
a)
Run off with him
b)
Work on the farm
c)
Have a baby together
d)
Kill Logan Killicks
42.
Joe holds a barbecue to celebrate which of the following?
a)
his election as mayor
b)
his marriage to Janie
c)
the lighting of the street lamp
d)
the opening of the store
43.
To deflect attention from his aging body, Joe does which of the following?
a)
buys a new car
b)
insults Janie
c)
starts a new business
d)
flirts with other women
44.
What does Janie realize about her feelings towards Nanny after Joe dies?
a)
Janie hates her.
b)
Janie misses her.
c)
Janie wishes she could talk to her again.
d)
Janie was afraid of her.
45.
At the trial, Janie is . . .
a)
condemned by Tea Cake’s friends
b)
convicted of murder
c)
convicted of assault
d)
not allowed to speak
46.
At the end of the novel, it looks as though Janie is going to live where?
a)
in the Everglades
b)
on Logan’s farm
c)
in Eatonville
d)
in Nanny’s old house
47.

Meaning: A little war of defense for helpless things was going on inside her. People ought to have some regard for helpless things (Hurston 57).

a)

Janie liked helping animals.

b)

Janie valued all life.

c)

Janie recognized Jody was a good man.

d)

Janie's statement is a larger symbolic representation of humanity helping those less fortunate, human and animal.

48.

Meaning: "Let 'em say whut dey wants tuh, Phoeby. To my thinkin' mourning ought'n't tuh last no longer'n grief" (Hurston 93).

a)

Janie thinks people should only wear black mourning clothes for 3 months.

b)

Janie believes that Phoebe is pressuring her to remain a widow.

c)

Janie believes that your outside dress should represent your inner feelings and not be ted to societal expectations. Ex: Black when mourning.

d)

Janie believes people should wear whatever they want depending on how they feel.

49.

Meaning: Tea Cake states, "You'se got de world in uh jug and make out you don't know it. But Ah'm glad tuh be de one tuh tell yuh" (Hurston 104). (Choose all applicable answers)

a)

Tea Cake thinks Janie is curvaceous.

b)

Tea Cake believes that Janie is a queen and should be respected and honored.

c)

Tea Cake loves sharing his perspective of the world with Janie

d)

Tea Cake constantly seeks to empower Janie to believe in herself and her own abilities.

50.

Meaning: "She (Annie Tyler) had waited all her life for something, and it had killed her when it found her. (Choose all applicable answers)

a)

Your dreams can destroy you.

b)

The illusion of love is not the same as the real thing.

c)

Happiness is an illusion.

d)

Not everyone achieves a "happily ever after."

51.

Meaning: "You done hurt mah heart, now you come wid uh lie tuh bruise mah ears! Turn go mah hands! (Hurston 137).

a)

You've literally wounded me.

b)

Is it not enough that you figuratively hurt me, but now you're insulting me.

c)

He boxed her ears.

d)

She needs a doctor immediately.

52.

Meaning: "No hour is ever eternity, but it has its right to weep" (Hurston 184).

a)

Allow yourself to have an emotional response whenever necessary.

b)

Everything will eventually pass on.

c)

Grief may feel like it will last forever, but it will subside.

d)

Loss stops time.

53.

Who is the protagonist in the novel?

a)

Phoeby

b)

Janie

c)

Jodie/Joe

d)

Tea Cake

54.

When the novel begins our protagonist is

a)

A young girl living with her grandmother

b)

About to marry Logan Killicks

c)

Arriving in Eatonville with her new husband for the first time

d)

A middle-aged woman returning to Eatonville alone

55.

To whom does Janie tell the story of her life?

a)

The townspeople on the porch

b)

Her new husband Tea Cake

c)

Phoeby Watson

d)

Nobody

56.

Janie’s grandmother was

a)

A store owner

b)

A teacher

c)

A maid

d)

A freed slave

57.

Who does Janie’s grandmother talk her into marrying?

a)

Vergible Woods

b)

Logan Killicks

c)

Jody Starks

d)

Amos Hicks

58.

Why does Janie leave her first husband?

a)

To go to the Everglades with Tea Cake

b)

To marry Jody Starks and go to Eatonville

c)

To care for her ailing grandmother

d)

To search for her missing mother

59.

What position does Jody decide he will take once he has arrived in Eatonville?

a)

The Sheriff

b)

The town’s lawyer

c)

The Mayor

d)

The Governor

60.

What does Jody force Janie to do after he sees other men looking at her?

a)

Stay at home every weekend

b)

Never talk to another man

c)

Wear a veil over her face

d)

Tie her hair up in head-rags

61.

What reason does Jody give for excluding Janie from the Mule’s funeral?

a)

Because such a “common” gathering is unfit for a wife of someone so important

b)

Because he is afraid she is too weak to handle the sight of the dead mule

c)

Because she had said she didn’t want to go

d)

Because he feels she should be working at the store

62.

What does Jody do after Janie insults him in front of the other men?

a)

He hits Janie as hard as he can

b)

He laughs in an attempt to diffuse the tension

c)

He apologizes to Janie

d)

He violently throws her out of town

63.

What do the townspeople think as Jody grows sicker?

a)

That Janie is cheating on him

b)

That his years of high living have finally caught up to him

c)

That God is punishing him for his sins

d)

That Janie is poisoning him

64.

What does Janie do while visiting Jody on his deathbed?

a)

She tells him she loves him

b)

She remains silent

c)

She mercilessly berates him

d)

She forgives him for the way he treated her

65.

Why does Janie reject so many suitors after Jody’s death?

a)

Because she is too upset about Jody’s death

b)

Because she loves her new-found independence

c)

Because they only want her money

d)

Because she is secretly dating Tea Cake

66.

Why does Janie hold back from allowing herself to fall in love with Tea Cake?

a)

She is 40 and he is 28 years old.

b)

She thinks he is a player.

c)

He might be after her money.

d)

All of the above.

67.

Why does Janie decide to sell the store and leave town with Tea Cake?

a)

He would forever be compared to Joe Starkes and the town would never accept them as a couple.

b)

Tea Cake has a great job in Jacksonville that pays a lot of money.

c)

Janie never liked Eatonville.

d)

The people in the town decide Tea Cake cannot stay.

68.

Extra Credit: What do Tea Cake's nickname and real name, Verigible Woods symbolize?

a)

Janie will get lost in the woods again.

b)

Sweetness and truth...the real deal.

c)

Green forest.

d)

Sickeningly sweet and the danger of the woods.

69.

Where does Janie hide her emergency money?

a)

In her purse

b)

In a secret panel in the floor

c)

Pinned inside her clothes

d)

In a safe

70.

What did Tea Cake do with Janie's money?

a)

Threw a huge party

b)

Bought a car

c)

Bought a house

d)

Bought new clothes

71.

Why did Tea Cake claim to not take Janie with him when he spent the money?

a)

He thought she wouldn't approve of the people he was with

b)

He didn't think she would like the way he spent the money

c)

She was sick and couldn't go with him

d)

He never thought to take her with him

72.

How does Tea Cake earn Janie's money back?

a)

He wins it gambling

b)

He gets a job picking crops

c)

He steals it

d)

He borrows it from a friend

73.

What does Tea Cake teach Janie to do down in the Everglades?

a)

Cook alligator

b)

Shoot a gun

c)

Play baseball

d)

Make her own clothes

74.

Why does Janie get a job picking crops?

a)

They need the money because she's broke now

b)

Tea Cake is unable to work

c)

She wants to be with Tea Cake all day

d)

She's saving money for a car

75.

Why does Janie not like Mrs. Turner?

a)

She catches Mrs. Turner flirting with Tea Cake

b)

Mrs. Turner is racist

c)

Mrs. Turner steals money from her

d)

Mrs. Turner gossips about Janie

76.
What sign did many take that the hurricane was coming and would be a bad one?
a)
Mrs. Turner left
b)
Nunkie said it was going to be bad
c)
Janie had a vision of Joe coming back to life.
d)
the Indians were leaving
77.

When do Janie and Tea Cake decide to evacuate?

a)

Not until they actually see flooding happening

b)

When the majority of people first evacuate

c)

They never do try to evacuate

d)

After their house is destroyed

78.

What two animals does Janie see during the worst of the flooding?

a)

A dog and a cat

b)

A duck and an alligator

c)

A raccoon and a possum

d)

A cow and a dog

79.

How is Tea Cake injured at the end of the reading?

a)

He is cut by a piece of flying debris

b)

A tree falls on him

c)

Someone shoots him

d)

He is bitten by an animal