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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. How many of the children went to college?

2. Bessie talks about her little sister Julia and her fear of which of the following:

3. The owner of the house did all but which of the following jobs?

4. What was Sadie's profession?

5. While traveling, Sadie often stayed at the ____ house, located three miles outside Raleigh.

Short Essay Questions

1. Which segment of the population did not readily accept or celebrate the Delanys' successes?

2. Sadie talks about the drawbacks of being old. Discuss at least two references Sadie makes to her advanced age.

3. What about the Delany sisters surprises most people? What is the general opinion of the Delany sisters' neighbors?

4. Discuss the births of the ten children, including their full names and birth years.

5. Henry Beard Delany was born a slave on a Georgia plantation. Examine the Delanys' role in the household. When was Henry freed?

6. What does the author say about Sadie and Bessie in regards to their age and view of history?

7. How old was Henry Delany when he was freed? How was Henry affected?

8. What gift of Bessie's was not readily acknowledged? Why was it kept under wraps?

9. The living arrangements for the sisters were somewhat unusual considering their respective ages. What was the arrangement?

10. How was Henry Delany presented with the opportunity to go to college? What major life change was Henry asked to make?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Bessie and Sadie lived in the house in Mount Vernon for more than 75 years. Discuss in detail how the sisters purchased the house, where it was located, and the demographic of their neighborhood. Who helped to take care of the house? How much did it cost? What features were there to the house that pleased the sisters? What do you think might have happened to the house after the sisters died?

Essay Topic 2

Why did the sisters move to New York? What was special about Harlem at that time? What was the Harlem Renaissance? Who was at the forefront of the movement? How did Sadie and Bessie feel about Harlem and New York City in general? How many members of the Delany family lived in Harlem? Who had offices located there? What is Harlem like today?

Essay Topic 3

The author says: "Both more than one hundred years old, Sarah ("Sadie") Delany and her sister Annie Elizabeth ("Bessie") Delany are among the oldest living witnesses to American history." (Part 1, page 3) What do you think it would be like to be in that position? Would you want to be one of the oldest living witnesses? What types of things did the sister see first hand that you would consider to be ancient history? Would you record your experiences? Explain.

(see the answer keys)

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