1. What does Sarny recall Mammy telling her to do with the coin that she found in the dirt in Chapter 2?
(a) To give it to the master.
(b) To hide it.
(c) To give it to her.
(d) To spend it.

2. How does Mammy notate the ages of the slave children that she raises?
(a) By collecting pebbles in a jar.
(b) By marking notches on sticks.
(c) By putting stakes in the ground.
(d) By scratching marks on the floor.

3. What does the author assert about the events in the story at the opening of the novel?
(a) The events are true except for variation in time and character identification.
(b) The events in the story are satirical.
(c) The events in the story are purely from the imagination of the author and not based on any historical people.
(d) The events in the story are loosely based on events that occurred in Cleveland, Mississippi, in 1861.

4. Sarny says of Mammy in Chapter 2, "She swore they could hear like cats up to the big house..." What literary device is used in this example?
(a) Alliteration.
(b) Onomatopoeia.
(c) Simile.
(d) Allusion.

5. From what device do Sarny and the other slaves eat their meals at the plantation?
(a) From a long table.
(b) From a grill.
(c) From a trough.
(d) From a cauldron.

Short Answer Questions

1. In what year did the United States Congress pass a Slave Trade Act which prohibited the building or outfitting of ships in the U.S. for use in the slave trade?

2. What kind of work does Sarny say she is not yet old enough to do on the plantation in Chapter 1?

3. What substance does Sarny treat the flowers with in Chapter 2?

4. What did Sarny do with the coin that she found after showing it to Mammy?

5. What does Sarny describe Mammy putting her head into in order to pray in Chapter 2?

(see the answer key)

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