View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

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

2. 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 father.
(c) Her mother.
(d) The letter A.

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

4. What does John tell Sarny she will have to learn before she can learn to read in Chapter 3?
(a) How to be quiet.
(b) The alphabet.
(c) The rules of grammar.
(d) How to count.

5. What European country was the first to engage in the New World slave trade?
(a) France.
(b) Great Britain.
(c) Spain.
(d) Portugal.

Short Answer Questions

1. By current estimates, approximately how many Africans were shipped across the Atlantic during the slave trade?

2. What does Sarny enjoy doing every evening after the slaves eat?

3. What word from Chapter 3 refers to a gourd used for eating or drinking?

4. In whose memory is Nightjohn dedicated by the author in the opening pages?

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?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does the author describe the regulations and rules regarding slaves and religion in Chapter 2?

2. How would you describe the narrator of the story? Is the narrator directly involved in the action of the narrative?

3. How does John behave toward the other slaves after his arrival in Chapter 3?

4. What does Mammy measure on the sticks that she keeps for each child on the plantation? Why?

5. How would you describe the dialect and language style established in Chapter 1?

6. What is the significance of John's scars when he first appears? Why do you think Waller chose John despite those scars?

7. How is Sarny's relationship with Mammy illustrated in Chapter 1? How does Mammy feel about the other children she cares for?

8. What is significant about the animal imagery that is seen in Chapter 3?

9. How is John's appearance described when he first arrives at the plantation in Chapter 3?

10. What imagery and/or symbolism is used in describing the slaves on the plantation in Chapter 2?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 964 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample