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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What is John's response when Sarny asks him in Chapter 3, "Why they be cutting our thumbs off if we learn to read--if that's all it is?"
(a) Cause they think we're too dumb to learn.
(b) Cause it says so in the Bible.
(c) Cause to know things, for us to know things, is bad for them.
(d) Cause they worried that we'll start talking like them.

2. What does Sarny say her last name is in Chapter 1?
(a) Waller.
(b) Freeman.
(c) Smith.
(d) Thomas.

3. When did the U.S. Congress outlaw the importation of slaves?
(a) April 12, 1799.
(b) January 1, 1808.
(c) July 7, 1800.
(d) March 26, 1865.

4. What word from Chapter 3 refers to a ring or fastening of iron or wood used for securing the wrist, ankle, etc.?
(a) Vestibule.
(b) Chattel.
(c) Promontory.
(d) Shackle.

5. What euphemism does Sarny use to describe menstruation in Chapter 1?
(a) Womanhood.
(b) The spots.
(c) The trouble.
(d) Aunt Mary.

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

7. What is the name of Mrs. Waller's sister?
(a) Mary.
(b) Alaine.
(c) Alice.
(d) Margaret.

8. How much money does Mrs. Waller say that her husband just spent on a new hand in Chapter 2?
(a) About $10,000.
(b) About $500.
(c) Over $1,000.
(d) Under $100.

9. What is the name of the slave that raises Sarny?
(a) Alice.
(b) Old Delie.
(c) Alaine.
(d) Margaret.

10. What does Sarny say is forbidden in the slaves' sleeping quarters in Chapter 3?
(a) Water.
(b) Light.
(c) Food.
(d) Beds.

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

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

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

14. Why does mammy say Sarny's birth mother was sold in Chapter 1?
(a) She was a good cotton-picker.
(b) She was a good midwife.
(c) She was a good house maid.
(d) She was a good breeder.

15. What has caused some of the leaves to fall off of the flowers that Sarny is tending in the flower garden in Chapter 2?
(a) Little green bugs.
(b) Chemical pesticides.
(c) Over-watering.
(d) Under-watering.

Short Answer Questions

1. 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?

2. What refers to the laws in each U.S. state which defined the status of slaves and the rights of masters?

3. What does Sarny say that the slaves call the master and mistress when they are in the slave quarters and out of hearing in Chapter 2?

4. What sound does Sarny compare John's laughter to in Chapter 3?

5. How is John attired when he first arrives at the plantation in Chapter 3?

(see the answer keys)

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