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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. Who argues over the value of each slave?

2. Who does the cast not seem to like much?

3. Which three men toast in Book One, Part One?

4. Which of the following books reminds Paris of his past?

5. Where does the Liverpool Merchant arrive in Book One, Part Four?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does the reader gain an inside perspective of the death of Paris' wife?

2. Why does Thurso have James Wilson flogged?

3. Why is Kemp so motivated to convince Paris to go aboard the Ship?

4. What good results from the slaves going aboard the ship, according to the narrator in Book One, Part Four?

5. How would you describe Erasmus as he is presented in the first half of the book?

6. What tragedy occurs while the Ship is being built?

7. What significance does the mantra "when we are married" have in Book One, Part Four?

8. Why is the title of the play rehearsed on the Wolpert property appropriate?

9. Why does Thurso not want his crew members to mistreat any of the men on the Ship right away?

10. Why was Paris imprisoned?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What effect does the time period have on Unsworth's novel? How does it add to the story? What impact does the Atlantic Slave Trade have on characters; and how might they be different had the story been set during a different time?

Essay Topic 2

How would you describe the development of the relationship between Erasmus and Sarah? Why do you think that Sarah becomes attached to Erasmus? What benefits do both characters derive from the relationship?

Essay Topic 3

Identify at least three instances of foreshadowing in Unsworth's novel. Why would Unsworth include those instances? How would the story change if they had not been included?

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