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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 has Sarny observed people reading prior to meeting John?

2. What term refers to the movement to end slavery?

3. When did the U.S. Congress outlaw the importation of slaves?

4. How old was Sarny when her birth mother was sold?

5. What does the author assert about the events in the story at the opening of the novel?

Short Essay Questions

1. How would you describe the dialect and language style established in Chapter 1?

2. How does Mr. Waller behave toward John as he brings him into the plantation in Chapter 3?

3. How does the author describe the regulations and rules regarding slaves and religion in Chapter 2?

4. What does Mammy measure on the sticks that she keeps for each child on the plantation? Why?

5. What is the trade that John offers to make with Sarny in Chapter 3? How does Sarny feel about the offer?

6. What is foreshadowed by Sarny's description of the penny that she once found in Chapter 2?

7. How does Sarny describe the process of meals for the slaves at the plantation in Chapter 3?

8. What imagery and/or symbolism is used in describing the slaves on the plantation in Chapter 2?

9. What is the significance of John's scars when he first appears? Why do you think Waller chose John despite those scars?

10. How is Sarny's relationship with Mammy illustrated in Chapter 1? How does Mammy feel about the other children she cares for?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the author’s dedication in the beginning of the novel and the lives of Sally Hemings and Thomas Jefferson. What was Jefferson’s stance regarding slavery in the U.S.? Why did Gary Paulsen dedicate Nightjohn to the memory of Sally Hemings? Why is Sally Hemings significant in American history?

Essay Topic 2

Analyze and discuss the character of John in the novel. What does John look like? How does Sarny describe John’s voice? What personality traits stand out in John upon his arrival at the plantation? How does John’s character evolve in the course of the story?

Essay Topic 3

Analyze the poetic elements seen in “Words.” Develop a chart that indicates examples in this chapter of repetition, assonance, alliteration, rhyme, meter, symbolism, metaphor, etc. Why do you think that this chapter differs from the others in its narrative style? What does this change indicate?

(see the answer keys)

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