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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What word used in Chapter 3 refers to the process of preparing corn for eating?
(a) Shucking.
(b) Relegating.
(c) Spindling.
(d) Parboiling.

2. What major theme of the novel emerges in Chapter 3?
(a) Longing and forbidden love.
(b) The importance of literacy.
(c) Political corruption.
(d) The pain of betrayal.

3. 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?
(a) 1794.
(b) 1739.
(c) 1865.
(d) 1826.

4. To whom does Mammy pray when Sarny witnesses her in Chapter 2?
(a) Lord Jesus.
(b) The Great Buddha.
(c) Allah.
(d) Saint Mary.

5. Where has Sarny observed people reading prior to meeting John?
(a) At the slave market.
(b) In the white house.
(c) At church.
(d) In town.

6. What were the "funny lines" that Sarny recalls seeing on the side of a feed sack in Chapter 3?
(a) FEED.
(b) GRAIN.
(c) 100 lbs.
(d) $20.

7. What does John cover in his first "lesson" with Sarny in Chapter 3?
(a) The period.
(b) The letter A.
(c) The question mark.
(d) The number 1.

8. What did Sarny do with the coin that she found after showing it to Mammy?
(a) She swallowed it.
(b) She gave it to John.
(c) She hid it in the dirt.
(d) She gave it to Mr. Waller.

9. What does John call out for from the slaves in the sleeping quarters on his first night at the plantation in Chapter 3?
(a) Whiskey.
(b) Extra food.
(c) Tobacco.
(d) Water.

10. By current estimates, approximately how many Africans were shipped across the Atlantic during the slave trade?
(a) 7 million.
(b) 12 million.
(c) 5 million.
(d) 20 million.

11. In whose memory is Nightjohn dedicated by the author in the opening pages?
(a) In John Brown's memory.
(b) In Harriet Tubman's memory.
(c) In Sally Hemings' memory.
(d) In Frederick Douglass's memory.

12. What substance does Sarny treat the flowers with in Chapter 2?
(a) Tobacco juice.
(b) Bubblegum.
(c) Turpentine.
(d) Chemical pesticide.

13. "Partus sequitur ventrem" was a legal doctrine adopted widely into the laws of slavery in the American colonies. What did this law dictate?
(a) That slaves be forbidden from attending church.
(b) That the child of a slave was a slave.
(c) That slaves were forbidden from reading and writing.
(d) That escaped slaves must be returned to their master.

14. What does Sarny think about when she finally lays down in bed at the end of Chapter 3?
(a) Mrs. Waller's dog.
(b) Her mother.
(c) The letter A.
(d) Her father.

15. In Chapter 1, Sarny says that some believed she brought Nightjohn to the plantation by what manner?
(a) Acting intelligent.
(b) Witchery.
(c) Train.
(d) Begging the master.

Short Answer Questions

1. How old was Sarny when her birth mother was sold?

2. Why does mammy say Sarny's birth mother was sold in Chapter 1?

3. What is the name of the slave that raises Sarny?

4. What euphemism does Sarny use to describe menstruation in Chapter 1?

5. When Sarny overhears the mistress of the plantation in Chapter 2, the mistress is complaining that her husband spends too much money buying slaves. What is she concerned that she will not have enough money to purchase due to her husband's overspending?

(see the answer keys)

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