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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 Secretary of State was persuaded in 1826 to ask the Canadian government to work out a plan to return runaway slaves to their owners?

2. Tice Davids was a slave that ran away from his owner where?

3. How much wood did Harriet usually cut per day as a part of her father’s team in Chapter 8: “Minta Becomes Harriet”?

4. What food did Harriet take with her when she fled North alone in Chapter 10: “A Glory Over Everything”?

5. What special day occurred at the end of the month, according to the narrator in Chapter 3: “Six Years Old”?

Short Essay Questions

1. Where did Harriet go when she ran away in Chapter 5: “Flight”? How long was she gone and why did she return?

2. What does the term “hired out” mean? When and where was Harriet first hired out from the Brodas plantation?

3. How does the author describe Harriet’s acquisition of knowledge by the time she was six in Chapter 3: “Six Years Old”? From whom did she gain this knowledge?

4. Who was Edward Brodas? What promise had he made to Harriet Tubman’s parents? What concerned Old Rit about her children in Chapter 2: “The First Years”?

5. Who was Harriet hired out to after Old Rit had nursed her back to health in Chapter 5: “Flight”? How does the author describe Harriet’s treatment at this home?

6. What does the author describe in her historical note at the end of Chapter 6: “The Underground Road”?

7. To whom was Harriet hired out in Chapter 8: “Minta Becomes Harriet”? What were her job duties at this home?

8. By what name was Harriet Tubman called as a child? Who cared for Harriet in her first years, as described by the author in Chapter 2: “The First Years”?

9. What principle job did Harriet have while she was hired out at the Cook home in Chapter 4: “Hired Out”? How did Harriet feel about the work?

10. What does “manumission” refer to? How did manumission give hope to the slaves on the plantations during Harriet’s childhood?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe and discuss Harriet’s attempt to run away from Miss Susan in Chapter 5: “Flight.” What had Harriet hoped to accomplish when she first ran? Why did she return? What did she learn from this experience?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the figure of John Tubman and Harriet’s feelings for her new husband. What chances of freedom did Harriet gain by marrying a free man, if any? How did John feel about Harriet’s enslavement? How many African Americans at this time were free?

Essay Topic 3

The Routes of the Underground Railroad

a. Describe the routes taken by Harriet Tubman from Dorchester County, Maryland, to Pennsylvania, New York, and Canada. How did Harriet’s routes change over time? Why did they change?

b. Describe the other major networks of the Underground Railroad. What was considered one of the heaviest crossing points in Ohio? How far did the Underground Railroad span?

(see the answer keys)

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