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 plan did Douglass decide not to give up on by the end of Chapter 8?

2. What did Douglass take with him when he went on errands for the Aulds?

3. What caused Douglass to change in Chapter 10?

4. Who did Douglass say he would miss from his former plantation in Chapter 5?

5. What did Douglass get to eat as a child on the plantation?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why did Douglass decide to learn to read?

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

3. What was Douglass's life like while with Mr. Freeland?

4. Define abolitionist and the effect on Douglass of learning the word.

5. Why does Douglass say he sees more clearly the results of slavery in Chapter 8?

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

7. What was Douglass's grandmother's situation in Chapter 8?

8. Why did Douglass want to learn to write? How did he go about accomplishing that objective?

9. Describe Master Thomas and explain why Douglass hoped he would change.

10. What did Master Thomas find fault in regarding Douglass's work in Chapter 9?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the narrative style of Douglass's memoir. From what perspective is the memoir written? In what tense is it related? Why are these decisions by the writer important?

Essay Topic 3

Describe and discuss three examples of symbolism in Douglass's narrative. What does this symbol represent? How do you relate to it? What are its impacts in the narrative?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 965 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample