Name: _________________________ | Period: ___________________ |
This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.
Short Answer Questions
1. What major error did Solomon commit with respect to his perception of Brown and Hamilton?
2. How did Radburn treat Solomon following the beating by Burch?
3. What circumstances allowed Solomon Northrup to be born a free man?
4. Why did William Ford feel obligated to settle his brother's debt?
5. Why was it important to Chapin to keep a dog on the property of the great house where he and Solomon stayed?
Short Essay Questions
1. In Chapter 2 of the book, how did Merrill Brown and Abram Hamilton persuade Solomon to travel to New York with them?
2. In Chapter 10 of the story, why did Solomon fear for his life during his trek through the Great Pacoudrie Swamp?
3. In Chapter 6 of the book, what type of slave did Freeman's customers want to buy?
4. In Chapter 1 of his book, how was Author Solomon Northrup able to depict his early years in life as normal?
5. In Chapter 6 of the book, who suffered during the sale conducted at Freeman's Pen?
6. How did Solomon feel that the exterior of Williams' Slave Pen in Washington could be viewed in Chapter 3 of the book?
7. In Chapter 5 of the story, how could Englishman John Manning be described in relation to Solomon?
8. What lead Solomon to believe that he could consider Merrill Brown and Abram Hamilton to be friends of his in Chapter 2 of the book?
9. As Chapter 2 ends, and Chapter 3 begins, how did Solomon discover that he was being held in slavery?
10. In Chapter 7 of the book, what set William Ford apart from the way that other slave owners treated their slaves?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
In Chapter 15 of the book, according to Author Solomon Northrup, during Christmastime in Bayou Bœuf, the slaves were not the only ones who showed a change in attitude. In describing a scene at the Christmas Supper hosted by one of the planters, Northrup wrote:
“White people in great numbers assemble to witness the gastronomical enjoyments”.
Also, Northrup wrote about the fact that slaves were not expected to work during Christmastime, noting that they were even given passes to visit friends in the area; and he stated that whips were not mentioned, much less used during that time.
Discuss the factor(s) that may have contributed to the change in attitude on the part of the planters toward the slaves during Christmastime. Was their attitude change based solely on the fact that it was Christmastime? If yes, how could you tell? If no, what other factor(s) contributed to the planters’ change in attitude?
Also discuss: Did the planters change their attitude toward the slaves at Christmastime because it made them feel good? Or were they making the change in attitude during that time because they knew that it made the slaves feel good? What was likely to be the planters’ reason for holding the Christmas Supper for the slaves? Gratitude or guilt? Regardless of your answer, include reason(s) to support your view.
Essay Topic 2
Instead of treating them with the dignity and respect that human beings deserved, the slave dealers in the book treated the slaves whom they intended to sell at various slave pens, quite similar to the way that ordinary shopkeepers treated the merchandise that they intended to sell in their stores.
What were some of the similarities that the slave dealers shared with shopkeepers as they prepared to conduct their respective sales? Were there any similarities between the slave dealers and shopkeepers as they conducted their respective sales? If there were, please describe them. How did the slaves feel about themselves in relation to the sales-related actions that the slave dealers would take as they went about conducting their business?
Essay Topic 3
Close to the end of Twelve Years a Slave, Solomon was upset about the role that Burch had played in casting him into the throes of slavery. In relation to Burch being acquitted of any wrongdoing in the matter, Solomon wrote:
“I took pains to seek him out, to confront him in a court of law, charging him with the crime of kidnapping; and the only motive that impelled me to this step, was a burning sense of the wrong he had inflicted upon me, and a desire to bring him to justice. He was acquitted, in the manner, and by such means as have been described. A human tribunal has permitted him to escape; but there is another and a higher tribunal, where false testimony will not prevail, and where I am willing, so far at least as these statements are concerned, to be judged at last.”
Define the terms, “human tribunal” and “higher tribunal” as Solomon used them in his writing. Explain what you understood the terms to mean, why they were likely to have special meaning for Solomon; whether and how either or both terms tied into a particular theme in the story — and how those connections if any, occurred.
This section contains 1,216 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) |