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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 does Captain Falcon die?

2. After his conversation with Falcon, what does Rutherford see?

3. After the slave boy's corpse is thrown overboard, what does Ngonyama return to Rutherford?

4. When Reverend Chandler was near death, where did Jackson ask Rutherford to meet him?

5. After going into the water, on what does Rutherford rely to keep him afloat?

Short Essay Questions

1. After his discussion with Squibb, Rutherford goes back up on deck and sees Ngonyama looking out to sea toward Bangalang. What does this remind Rutherford of?

2. One night, Cringle tells Rutherford about his father. How does Cringle describe his father's attitude towards money and the rich?

3. Rutherford tells Squibb about his brother and master. What reason does he give for Rev. Chandler deciding to keep him and Jackson, his brother, after Chandler inherited them from their father?

4. Why do the Allmuseri spit at visitors' feet?

5. When Rutherford enters the captain's quarters, he finds it in ruins and the captain badly hurt by falling beams. What, due to his injuries, is the captain no longer able to control?

6. After Rutherford finishes his dinner conversation with Falcon and returns to the deck, he observes Meadows wearing various people's clothes and imitating them while beating the dogs. Why is he doing this?

7. Diamelo makes up many new rules that favor the Allmuseri and to which the Americans must submit. What winds up being the only one of these rules that is actually followed?

8. When another ship is sighted, what does Diamelo suggest doing about it?

9. When the slaves are brought up from the hold, among them is a dead boy. Why does Meadows slice off the boy's ears before throwing the corpse overboard?

10. What is Falcon's motive for bringing the Allmuseri god on board?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Slavery also figured highly in the lives of all characters in Middle Passage, not just in the lives of the Allmuseri. Using the text as your backup, choose one of the following characters, and explain how and by what he or she was enslaved.

1) Captain Falcon

2) Rutherford

3) Isadora

4) Zeringue

5) Squibb

6) Nathaniel Meadows

Essay Topic 2

Analyze and explain why Rutherford, unlike the other crew members, is able to develop relationships with the Allmuseri. Back up your arguments with examples from the text.

Essay Topic 3

Using the text as backup, compare and contrast Rutherford's and Captain Falcon's personalities, particularly their individual approaches towards honesty and ability to trust, and explain how the relationship that develops between them plays a role in the development of the novel.

(see the answer keys)

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