I, too, Am America: The Harlem Renaissance and Cultural Rebellion — Test
Question 12 • TPS EdX English Language Arts 11
Read the excerpt from Hurston’s “John Redding Goes to Sea.” Matty Redding, John's mother, was setting the table for supper. She was a small wiry woman with large eyes that might have been beautiful when she was young, but too much weeping had left them watery and weak. Which best describes the intent of Hurston’s use of voice as it relates to cultural experience?
Answer
A
Hurston comments on the wasted beauty of youth and the cruelty of aging through her portrayal of the main character.
B
Hurston reinforces the idea that women openly show their emotions, whereas men try to conceal them.
C
Hurston highlights the hardships that women in the community are experiencing through her description of Matty Redding.
D
Hurston explores the outdated notion of women in the kitchen rather than in the workforce.
Explanation
Hurston describes Matty as having eyes made “watery and weak” by too much weeping. This detail suggests that she has endured hardship and sorrow, so the description draws attention to the difficulties women in her community face. Choice A focuses on aging and misidentifies Matty as the main character; the excerpt emphasizes the effects of hardship, not simply lost youth.
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