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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. What reason does Elijah give to Mr. Leroy why he has to return by Saturday?

2. What is Elijah ashamed of about himself as he and his father walk out of the woods in chapter 18?

3. Why does Elijah refrain from speaking to the refugee boy in chapter 11?

4. Why does Elijah prefer to ride mules, as he discusses in chapter 20?

5. What does Mr. Leroy do in the beginning of chapter 16 that he feels he must apologize for?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Elijah's father not trust the preacher to take Mr. Leroy's money and arrange for the purchase of his family?

2. What happened to Mr. Highgate? For what reason? How did he get back to Buxton?

3. What does Elijah tell Mr. Leroy about the preacher in chapter 16 that later leaves him feeling guilty and afraid for his life in chapter 17?

4. What has Mrs. Taylor been giving her infant daughter that makes her afraid for the child? Why has she done this?

5. Who reads the letter to Mrs. Holton in chapter 13? For what reason?

6. What is the subject of the meeting that takes place in chapter 18?

7. To whom does Mr. Leroy go to ask for help in buying his family's freedom from slavery?

8. Who are the Taylors? Why have they come to Buxton?

9. What is significant about Emma Collins?

10. In chapter 14, where does the community of Buxton spend their Sunday afternoon?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Who is Cooter? What kind of trouble does Cooter often find himself in? Why? Why does the schoolteacher dislike Cooter? Who is Cooter's best friend? What are some of the things they do together? How does this contrast with the childhoods these children's parents have had? Why do you think the author shows so much of these children's relatively carefree lives?

Essay Topic 2

Why does Mr. Leroy hit Elijah for nearly calling him a derogatory name? Why does Mr. Leroy show Elijah his scars? What are the stories behind these scars? Why do they have meaning to Mr. Leroy? What meaning do they have? What lesson does Mr. Leroy teach Elijah in this incidence? Does Elijah learn it well? Why is it important for Elijah to learn such a lesson?

Essay Topic 3

Compare and contrast the preacher to the white slave holder who informs Mrs. Holton of her husband's death. In this comparison list the cruelties each has committed and how they compare to one another, how they impact the people of Buxton and others, and the ways in which they are different. Discuss as well reasons why the author might have felt the need to offers these two representations of such cruelties.

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