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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. Bessie jokes about arriving at which place?

2. Which famous activist often visited Raleigh?

3. The sisters absolutely refuse to have a ____.

4. Nanny came from which state?

5. When someone makes a statement and is proven to be wrong, it is often said that the person has to eat ____.

Short Essay Questions

1. What actions did the Mocks take that was illegal?

2. What was the public opinion of Henry Delany during his career? What changed the way people viewed the Delany family?

3. What is Bessie's opinion of whites? Who was responsible for giving whites a bad name in the eyes of the Negro?

4. How was Henry Delany presented with the opportunity to go to college? What major life change was Henry asked to make?

5. The living arrangements for the sisters were somewhat unusual considering their respective ages. What was the arrangement?

6. Where did Henry and Nanny meet? What was unusual about their wedding?

7. Sadie talks about the drawbacks of being old. Discuss at least two references Sadie makes to her advanced age.

8. What was so important about Henry Delany's foray into the church?

9. What was the reaction of many slaves when slavery ended? What did the slaves do upon being freed?

10. What was different about the Delany family compared to other black families in the South?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Bessie jokes that the reason she and Sadie have lived so long was due to the fact that neither ever got married. Do you think there is any truth to that statement? Did Bessie mean what she said or was she joking? Why do you think neither sister ever married? How was that choice viewed by the rest of the family? Did either have a boyfriend? How might things have changed if one or both of the sisters had married? Explain.

Essay Topic 2

Sadie talks about racism in the black community. Even though the sisters are from the same family, there was a difference in the way they were treated due to the shade of their skin tone. Do you think that the shade of one's skin matters as much today, or are all blacks treated equally? Do you think other races have the same opinions and/or experiences? How did the sisters handle the difference in treatment? How were the other children treated? Why do you think some were lighter than others?

Essay Topic 3

Although the Delany family had many admirers, they also had detractors. Examine the type of person that might be most likely to detract from the family's accomplishments. Why do you think some of the lower class black families were resentful of the Delanys? Were they jealous? Did they have the same ambition or opportunities? Why did some think the family was trying to live in a white man's world? What does it mean when people said that the Delanys were trying to live above their station? How did the Delanys react to their supporters and detractors? What is your opinion?

(see the answer keys)

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