Print
Word
PDF
|
| Name: _________________________ | Period: ___________________ |
This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.
Short Answer Questions
1. What kind of work does Sarny say she is not yet old enough to do on the plantation in Chapter 1?
2. What sound does Sarny compare John's laughter to in Chapter 3?
3. How is John attired when he first arrives at the plantation in Chapter 3?
4. 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?
5. What does John tell Sarny she will have to learn before she can learn to read in Chapter 3?
Short Essay Questions
1. How would you describe the dialect and language style established in Chapter 1?
2. What intrigues and inspires Sarny to want to learn to read and write? What risks does she take in doing so?
3. What does Mammy measure on the sticks that she keeps for each child on the plantation? Why?
4. How would you describe the tone and mood of the novel as established in Chapter 1?
5. What is foreshadowed by Sarny's description of the penny that she once found in Chapter 2?
6. How does Sarny describe the process of meals for the slaves at the plantation in Chapter 3?
7. How is Sarny's birth and early childhood described in Chapter 1? Are Sarny's experiences common for slaves at this time?
8. 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?
9. How is John's appearance described when he first arrives at the plantation in Chapter 3?
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
Discuss the language style of Nightjohn. How would you describe the dialect of Sarny’s narrative? How does John’s dialect differ from Sarny’s? How is it similar? How does the language style of the novel help the reader to connect with its themes?
Essay Topic 3
Discuss the rights, roles, and expectations of women in the 18th and 19th century American South. Examine the responsibilities and roles that a figure such as Margaret Waller would play in her household and plantation. How many “house-slaves” might a family like the Wallers have? What would have been the main contribution of the slave-master’s wife? How did these roles differ for slave women?
|
This section contains 1,038 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) |
|
