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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. By current estimates, approximately how many Africans were shipped across the Atlantic during the slave trade?
2. Sarny states at the end of Chapter 2 that she knows the "people in the white house aren't richer" than whom?
3. What does Sarny say her last name is in Chapter 1?
4. What does Sarny say they pour down the trough in the mornings for the slaves in Chapter 3?
5. What is the name of the slave that raises Sarny?
Short Essay Questions
1. What is foreshadowed by Sarny's description of the penny that she once found in Chapter 2?
2. When is the first time that Sarny describes hearing the word "free" in Chapter 2? What were her perceptions of this word?
3. How does Sarny describe Mammy's method of praying in Chapter 2? Why does Mammy pray this way?
4. What job or jobs does Sarny do around the plantation in Chapter 1?
5. 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?
6. How is Sarny's character introduced to the reader in Chapter 1? What does Sarny say brought Nightjohn to her?
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 Sarny describe the process of meals for the slaves at the plantation in Chapter 3?
9. What imagery and/or symbolism is used in describing the slaves on the plantation in Chapter 2?
10. What is significant about the animal imagery that is seen in Chapter 3?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
Analyze the character of Mammy, or Old Delie, in the novel. About how old do you imagine Mammy to be? What is Mammy’s essential function on Waller’s plantation? How would you describe the bond between Sarny and Mammy?
Essay Topic 2
Describe and discuss the history, formation, and influences of pit schools in the American South during the era of slavery. What impact do you think that these schools had on the abolition of slavery in the United States? Why is it important to understand this history?
Essay Topic 3
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?
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This section contains 966 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) |
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