View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is the year that Douglass remembers moving in the beginning of Chapter 9?

2. What did Douglass's master inadvertently teach him in Chapter 6?

3. What did Mr. Covey do in the morning and at night?

4. Who tried to help Douglass learn the alphabet?

5. Why was Douglass's new master in Chapter 9 different than his previous owners?

Short Essay Questions

1. What was the difference between a slave in the country versus one in the city that Douglass discovered?

2. What was the situation that caused Mr. Covey to fear Douglass?

3. What was Douglass's life as a young slave like, as described in Chapter 5?

4. What was the situation that caused Douglass to go work for Mr. Walter Price?

5. What does Douglass washing in the river symbolize in Chapter 5?

6. Explain the hopefulness of Douglass in Chapter 5.

7. Why did Douglass decide to learn to read?

8. Why did Douglass begin to see his learning to read as a curse?

9. How would you describe the narrative point-of-view in Chapter 5?

10. Why was Douglass called back to his birth place in Chapter 8?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Douglass discusses multiple people who have had an effect in his life. Write about two or more of these people, explaining why they are important to Douglass and how they affected his life. What actions did this individual take? What were their motivations? What do they represent symbolically?

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

Write about the women in Douglass's life, both well known and not so well known. Choose three or more women that Douglass knew and discuss how these women taught Douglass, either through demonstration or first-hand experience. How did each woman stand out from the others? What was the significance of each woman's encounter with Douglass? What are his perceptions of these exchanges?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 950 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample