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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. Who were the people that captured John after he'd fled?

2. How does Waller punish Mammy after the slaves return from the fields in Chapter 5?

3. What does Waller order John to do when he steps forward and confesses to teaching Sarny in Chapter 5?

4. How long does Sarny say it took Waller and his dogs to catch Jim when he ran in Chapter 4?

5. What word from Chapter 5 refers to the act of writing or marking carelessly?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Waller discover that Sarny is learning to read and write in Chapter 5? How does he react?

2. How did Pawley die, according to the story related from Sarny in Chapter 4?

3. What is the significance of Master Waller's public displays of punishment for the slaves in the novel?

4. What are Sarny's perceptions of Alice's whipping when she witnesses it in Chapter 4?

5. How was Pawley's disappearance discovered by Waller, according to Sarny in Chapter 4? Why was Pawley off the plantation?

6. Sarny describes two slaves that she has heard of that ran away from Waller's plantation in Chapter 4. What story is related of Jim's attempted escape?

7. How does Sarny describe the first day of John's recovery in Chapter 6?

8. How is John's departure described in Chapter 6? What does Sarny make of John's farewell?

9. What instructions does Mammy give to Sarny while she's at the spring house in Chapter 5?

10. How does Master Waller punish John after he has stepped forward in Chapter 5? How does John respond to his punishment?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the theme of education in Nightjohn. What is the importance and/or the danger of reading for the slaves, according to John? Historically, how accurate is John’s perception? Does the author present a favorable view of education? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the “barter” made between John and Sarny when they first meet. How does bartering or trading relate to the theme of monetary value in the novel? What does Sarny trade with John in order to learn “letters”? What does John gain from the arrangement?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the language style of Nightjohn. How would you describe the dialect of Sarny’s narrative? How does John’s dialect differ from Sarny’s? How is it similar? How does the language style of the novel help the reader to connect with its themes?

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