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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. How many letters of the alphabet has Sarny learned at the beginning of Chapter 5?

2. Why does John assert that the slaves must all learn to read and write in Chapter 4?

3. What does Mammy tell Sarny to prepare to treat her wounds after she is whipped in Chapter 5?

4. What is Mammy doing when Sarny runs to her as she tries to escape Waller in Chapter 5?

5. What derogatory name does John refer to Master Waller as when Sarny tells him about Mammy in Chapter 5?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Sarny describe the first day of John's recovery in Chapter 6?

2. What does John teach Sarny in Chapter 6? How does Mammy respond when she observes this exchange?

3. How did Pawley die, according to the story related from Sarny in Chapter 4?

4. What instructions does Mammy give to Sarny while she's at the spring house in Chapter 5?

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

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

7. How does the relationship between Mammy and John change after John explains his past in Chapter 4?

8. How is Alice described in the beginning of Chapter 4? What is Sarny's relationship like with Alice?

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

10. What happens after Alice's whipping in Chapter 4? How are Alice's wounds treated?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

Discuss the author’s depictions of violence and sexual assault in Nightjohn. What do you think is the importance of including these details of slave existence? Would the novel be as effective without its depictions of violence and abuse? Why or why not?

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?

(see the answer keys)

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