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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

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. Where does Sarny demonstrate the "letters" that she discovered on the feed sack for John in Chapter 3?

3. What is the name of Mrs. Waller's sister?

4. How old is Sarny in Chapter 1?

5. When did Pennsylvania pass legislation to end slavery?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What intrigues and inspires Sarny to want to learn to read and write? What risks does she take in doing so?

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

4. Why were slaves forbidden education historically? How is this depicted in the novel?

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

6. What does Sarny describe thinking about as the others sleep in the slave quarters at night in Chapter 1?

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

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

9. What does Sarny overhear from the white house while she works in Chapter 2?

10. How does Sarny describe the process of meals for the slaves at the plantation in Chapter 3?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How is slave life described in the novel? List at least five ways in which Waller ensures that his slaves are stripped of their freedom. Which seems most invasive to you? Why? What freedom(s) would you most miss if you lost your freedoms today?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the author’s dedication in the beginning of the novel and the lives of Sally Hemings and Thomas Jefferson. What was Jefferson’s stance regarding slavery in the U.S.? Why did Gary Paulsen dedicate Nightjohn to the memory of Sally Hemings? Why is Sally Hemings significant in American history?

Essay Topic 3

Analyze the poetic elements seen in “Words.” Develop a chart that indicates examples in this chapter of repetition, assonance, alliteration, rhyme, meter, symbolism, metaphor, etc. Why do you think that this chapter differs from the others in its narrative style? What does this change indicate?

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