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

Multiple Choice Questions

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

2. What does Sarny enjoy doing every evening after the slaves eat?
(a) Drawing pictures in the sand in the chicken shed.
(b) Playing a harmonica that she found in town.
(c) Laying in bed thinking about what she's learned.
(d) Singing songs that she learned in church.

3. What kind of work does Sarny say she is not yet old enough to do on the plantation in Chapter 1?
(a) Helping with the young ones.
(b) Yard work.
(c) Field work.
(d) Gathering eggs.

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

5. When did Pennsylvania pass legislation to end slavery?
(a) 1780.
(b) 1799.
(c) 1865.
(d) 1885.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why does Mammy pray in the manner that she does?

2. What historical figure "owned, raised, and subsequently used" the slave that the novel is dedicated to by the author?

3. 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?"

4. What does Sarny remark about her birth in Chapter 1?

5. What does Sarny say is forbidden in the slaves' sleeping quarters in Chapter 3?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is foreshadowed by Sarny's description of the penny that she once found in Chapter 2?

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

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

4. How is Sarny's birth and early childhood described in Chapter 1? Are Sarny's experiences common for slaves at this time?

5. How does Sarny describe Mammy's method of praying in Chapter 2? Why does Mammy pray this way?

6. What was Mammy's response when she discovered Sarny copying the symbols from the grain sack into the dirt when she was a child? Why did she react in this manner?

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

8. How does Mr. Waller behave toward John as he brings him into the plantation in Chapter 3?

9. How does the author illustrate Sarny's only encounter with money in Chapter 2?

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

(see the answer keys)

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