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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What was the job that Douglass performed for Daniel when he went hunting?

2. What did Douglass use of Master Thomas's to help him write?

3. Who became an abusive alcoholic, according to the narrative in Chapter 8?

4. Who did Douglass have to fight with to get his daily food?

5. How long did Douglass have to work on occasion on Mr. Covey's farm?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why did Douglass want to learn to write? How did he go about accomplishing that objective?

2. What did Master Thomas find fault in regarding Douglass's work in Chapter 9?

3. Define abolitionist and the effect on Douglass of learning the word.

4. Describe Master Thomas and explain why Douglass hoped he would change.

5. What was Douglass's grandmother's situation in Chapter 8?

6. Why did Douglass begin to see his learning to read as a curse?

7. Why was Douglass called back to his birth place in Chapter 8?

8. What was the difference between a slave in the country versus one in the city that Douglass discovered?

9. Explain the hopefulness of Douglass in Chapter 5.

10. Why did Douglass decide to learn to read?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Douglass discusses multiple people who have had an effect in his life. Write about two or more of these people, explaining why they are important to Douglass and how they affected his life. What actions did this individual take? What were their motivations? What do they represent symbolically?

Essay Topic 2

How did slave masters go about the process of dominating slaves and maintaining that domination? What are examples specifically of how this process took place? What are the dangers of enslavement today, given our knowledge of slavery's history?

Essay Topic 3

At various times throughout Douglass's life, he found a way to continue to hope, which carried him on in his difficult life as a slave. Discuss three or more examples and the circumstances around these situations. Why was hope so vital to Douglass and other slaves? What symbolism in the memoir connects to the theme of hope? What message of hope do you find in Douglass's narrative?

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