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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. How old does Douglass write that he thinks he is in the first Chapter?

2. What was the main competition among the slaves, according to the author in Chapter 3?

3. Garrison asks the reader for sympathy for whom in the Preface?

4. How long was the food that is given to the adult slaves supposed to last?

5. What was a teenage girl in Douglass's own family killed for?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who was Wendell Phillips?

2. Why does Garrison's Preface seem somewhat like a religious sermon?

3. How is Garrison's Preface different than other prefaces?

4. In the Preface, how does Garrison describe Douglass?

5. Why does Garrison make Douglass seem to be so important to the abolitionist movement?

6. What was the West Indies Experiment?

7. What upsets Douglass about his mother's death?

8. Describe the Great House Farm. Who owned it?

9. What was Colonel Lloyd's garden like?

10. What common practice upsets Douglass, according to his narrative in Chapter 1?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explain and give examples of how Douglass learned to read and write. How did his learning to read and write affect him both in good and bad ways? Were there any other skills that Douglass learned that both helped and hindered him? How?

Essay Topic 2

At various times throughout Douglass's life, he found a way to continue to hope, which carried him on in his difficult life as a slave. Discuss three or more examples and the circumstances around these situations. Why was hope so vital to Douglass and other slaves? What symbolism in the memoir connects to the theme of hope? What message of hope do you find in Douglass's narrative?

Essay Topic 3

Douglass describes situations, such as not wanting to put details about his escape route into his story for fear of other slaves not getting a chance to escape, that give the reader an idea about the type of person he is. Write about your impressions of Douglass and the type of character he had. Cite examples from the book to support your answer. To whom might you compare Douglass today? Why? Do you believe he was an honorable man? Why or why not?

(see the answer keys)

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