View a FREE sample

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

Short Answer Questions

1. What did the master do to Pawley for punishment after he was caught?

2. Where does Waller spend the day while Mammy is shackled to the spring house in Chapter 5?

3. What does Mammy tell Sarny to bring to her at the spring house when the master and others aren't looking in Chapter 5?

4. What does Sarny say the master did when Alice was unwilling in the breeding shed in Chapter 4?

5. Who is awake in the sleeping quarters when John escapes in Chapter 6?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is foreshadowed by Alice's treatment and abuse from Waller in Chapter 4?

2. How does Master Waller punish John after he has stepped forward in Chapter 5? How does John respond to his punishment?

3. What are Sarny's perceptions of Alice's whipping when she witnesses it in Chapter 4?

4. How does Sarny describe the circumstances of the slaves in the beginning of Chapter 5?

5. What is foreshadowed in Chapter 6? What does the reader expect to happen based on John's actions?

6. Why do you think it is important for John to teach the slaves to read and write as opposed to teaching them other information?

7. How does John describe his plans for escape to Mammy and Sarny in Chapter 6?

8. How does Mammy respond when Sarny runs to her at the spring house in Chapter 5?

9. What is the significance of Master Waller's public displays of punishment for the slaves in the novel?

10. How is John's departure described in Chapter 6? What does Sarny make of John's farewell?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 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

Examine and discuss the themes of cruelty and abuse in Nightjohn. In what ways do Waller’s actions in the narrative appear cruel? Do you think that Waller derives pleasure from the abuse and torture of his slaves? Why or why not?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 991 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample