I, too, am America: The Harlem Renaissance and the Civil Rights Movement — Test
Question 11 • English Language Arts 11
Which statement from “John Redding Goes to Sea” best supports the idea that the author, Zora Neale Hurston, was an independent woman who longed to escape her small hometown?
Answer
A
"Pa, when ah gets as big as you Ah'm goin' farther than them ships. Ah'm goin' to where the sky touches the ground."
B
"Well, son, when Ah wuz a boy Ah said Ah wuz goin' too, but heah Ah am. Ah hopes you have bettah luck than me."
C
"Well, well, doan cry. Ah thought youse uh grown up man. Men doan cry lak babies. You mustn't take it too hard 'bout yo' ships. You gotta git uster things gittin' tied up . . .”
D
"Alfred Redding's brown face grew wistful for a moment, and the child noticing it, asked quickly": "Do weeds tangle up folks too, pa?"
Explanation
John says he will go “farther than them ships” and travel “to where the sky touches the ground.” This ambitious wish to leave and explore beyond his small hometown best reflects the idea of longing for escape and independence. Choice B describes his father’s unrealized dream, not John’s determination to go.
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