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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. In his discussion of the Auld household, Douglass says that Mrs. Auld practices which trade?

2. Though he does not know for sure how old he is as his story begins, Douglass estimates that he is roughly how old?

3. As a child, Brent watches a mother lose how many of her children at a slave auction?

4. Douglass leaves Thomas Auld's house in what year?

5. Where does Benny say he thinks his mother is when Dr. Flint asks him?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the process by which Douglass teaches himself to write after Mrs. Auld stops teaching him.

2. What bit of good news does Brent receive in Chapter 40, and what bad news overshadows it?

3. As Brent's narrative begins, when and how does Brent find out that she is a slave?

4. Why does Brent start to fear her master when she is 15 years old?

5. What fright does Brent face in Chapters 35 and 36?

6. What is the result when Brent falls in love with a free black man?

7. Why, after purchasing her from Dr. Flint, does Mr. Sands agree to send Ellen to the North?

8. What does Douglass say about the reasons slaves sing in Chapter 2?

9. Why, according to Douglass' recollection of his childhood, are infants separated from their mothers at such a young age in Maryland?

10. At the beginning of his narrative, what reason does Douglass give for not knowing how old he is?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Analyze and discuss Douglass' assertion that the slave system is harmful not only to slaves, but also to slave owners. Explore his claims in detail and include supporting information from the text.

Essay Topic 2

Compare and contrast the slave trade into which Gustavus Vassa is sold with the slave system he speaks of in his recollections of growing up in Africa. Highlight three major similarities or differences between the Western slave trade and the slave system common to African tribes.

Essay Topic 3

Is there anything to Mr. Auld's argument that educating a slave is dangerous? Cite and discuss three ways in which an educated slave might be detrimental to the slave system, using supporting information from the text.

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