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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 does Mammy pray for when Sarny witnesses her praying in Chapter 2?
2. What historical figure "owned, raised, and subsequently used" the slave that the novel is dedicated to by the author?
3. How does Sarny describe Mrs. Waller's sister in Chapter 2?
4. How is John attired when he first arrives at the plantation in Chapter 3?
5. What does Sarny enjoy doing every evening after the slaves eat?
Short Essay Questions
1. How is John's appearance described when he first arrives at the plantation in Chapter 3?
2. How is Sarny's relationship with Mammy illustrated in Chapter 1? How does Mammy feel about the other children she cares for?
3. What does Sarny overhear from the white house while she works in Chapter 2?
4. How does the author illustrate Sarny's only encounter with money in Chapter 2?
5. How is Sarny's character introduced to the reader in Chapter 1? What does Sarny say brought Nightjohn to her?
6. How would you describe the dialect and language style established in Chapter 1?
7. What is foreshadowed by Sarny's description of the penny that she once found in Chapter 2?
8. When is the first time that Sarny describes hearing the word "free" in Chapter 2? What were her perceptions of this word?
9. What intrigues and inspires Sarny to want to learn to read and write? What risks does she take in doing so?
10. How would you describe the tone and mood of the novel as established in Chapter 1?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
Discuss the author’s dedication in the beginning of the novel and the lives of Sally Hemings and Thomas Jefferson. What was Jefferson’s stance regarding slavery in the U.S.? Why did Gary Paulsen dedicate Nightjohn to the memory of Sally Hemings? Why is Sally Hemings significant in American history?
Essay Topic 2
Analyze the poetic elements seen in “Words.” Develop a chart that indicates examples in this chapter of repetition, assonance, alliteration, rhyme, meter, symbolism, metaphor, etc. Why do you think that this chapter differs from the others in its narrative style? What does this change indicate?
Essay Topic 3
Describe and discuss the history, formation, and influences of pit schools in the American South during the era of slavery. What impact do you think that these schools had on the abolition of slavery in the United States? Why is it important to understand this history?
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This section contains 1,007 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) |
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