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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. Where are the flower beds described that Sarny tends from time to time in Chapter 1?

2. Sarny states at the end of Chapter 2 that she knows the "people in the white house aren't richer" than whom?

3. How does Sarny describe Mrs. Waller's sister in Chapter 2?

4. How does Mammy notate the ages of the slave children that she raises?

5. What word used in Chapter 3 refers to the process of preparing corn for eating?

Short Essay Questions

1. How would you describe the narrator of the story? Is the narrator directly involved in the action of the narrative?

2. What does Sarny describe thinking about as the others sleep in the slave quarters at night in Chapter 1?

3. Why were slaves forbidden education historically? How is this depicted in the novel?

4. What is the trade that John offers to make with Sarny in Chapter 3? How does Sarny feel about the offer?

5. How would you describe the dialect and language style established in Chapter 1?

6. What job or jobs does Sarny do around the plantation in Chapter 1?

7. What does Mammy measure on the sticks that she keeps for each child on the plantation? Why?

8. What is the significance of John's scars when he first appears? Why do you think Waller chose John despite those scars?

9. What does Sarny overhear from the white house while she works in Chapter 2?

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

Describe and analyze the character of Clel Waller in Nightjohn. How old is Clel Waller? How would you describe Sarny’s opinions of Master Waller? How do the other slaves feel about the master? How does Waller’s character evolve in the course of the story?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the meaning and the value of money as seen through Sarny’s eyes in Nightjohn. What does Sarny remark about the monetary value that her mother brought for Waller? How does this perception of people as having a monetary value impact Sarny’s view of the world around her? What negative impacts might this outlook cause in a person’s self worth?

Essay Topic 3

Analyze and discuss the character of John in the novel. What does John look like? How does Sarny describe John’s voice? What personality traits stand out in John upon his arrival at the plantation? How does John’s character evolve in the course of the story?

(see the answer keys)

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