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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 do Ned and Jane encounter the old white man in “An Old Man"?

2. What name has Ned taken on in “Ned Leaves Home”?

3. Where does Job give Ned and Jane a place to sleep in “Rednecks and Scalawags”?

4. Why does the Klan show up at Jane's doorway in “Ned Leaves Home”?

5. What are the Confederate soldiers called in "Soldiers"?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Jane tell the white woman in "Heading South" that she won't return to her home plantation? How does the woman reply?

2. What does Madame Gautier remark regarding masculinity in "Man's Way"?

3. What advice and assistance do Jane and Ned receive in “An Old Man”?

4. How is the narrator influenced by Miss Jane Pittman's funeral in the Introduction?

5. What has arisen to cause Jane concern and worry in "A Dollar for Two"?

6. How does irony apply to Colonel Dye's re-purchase of the Bone Plantation?

7. How is the theme of self-identification explored in the first chapters of Book 1?

8. What political ideologies can be seen in the actions of the north in Book 2: Reconstruction?

9. How does the narrator describe his relationship with Miss Jane Pittman in the Introduction?

10. How does the government investigator help Jane and Ned after getting them across the river in “Shelter for a Night”?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compare and contrast the actions of Ned and Joe in relation to the theme of social defiance. How does each of these characters approach overcoming oppression? Whose method is the most effective? Why?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the theme of sacrifice in The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman. What characters in the novel make sacrifices? What are the impacts of those sacrifices? How does the author support this theme through symbolism and imagery?

Essay Topic 3

Analyze and discuss the character of Jimmy Caya in the novel. Where does Jimmy Caya live and what brings him to the Samson Plantation? How would you describe Jimmy's viewpoints regarding race?

(see the answer keys)

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