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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 late is Burke Williams when he first appears at the Grimke home to call on Sarah?

2. What is the name of the slave that serves as butler to the Grimke family in Part 1, November 1803 – February 1805?

3. By what year had all the northern states abolished slavery?

4. What was the first recognized organization for abolitionists in the United States?

5. Who has discovered that Burke Williams has other fiancees and confronts him about it in Part 2, February 1811 – December 1812?

Short Essay Questions

1. How is the custom of slaves attending white churches described in Part 1, November 1803 – February 1805? Where did the slaves sit in church?

2. What takes place during Burke Williams' first visit to the Grimke estate in Part 2, February 1811 – December 1812?

3. What impressions does Denmark Vesey make on Handful and Mauma in Part 2, February 1811 – December 1812?

4. How is the ancestry of the Grimke family described in Part 1, November 1803 – February 1805? What class are the Grimkes?

5. What is Sarah's principle birthday present for her eleventh birthday? How does Sarah respond to this gift?

6. What items from the Grimke household go missing in Part 1, November 1803 – February 1805? Who steals these items?

7. What do Handful and Nina help Sarah to prepare for in the beginning of Part 2, February 1811 – December 1812? Why?

8. How does Sarah learn to create a manumission document in Part 1, November 1803 – February 1805? What happens to this document?

9. How is the character of Mauma described in Part 1, November 1803 – February 1805? What is Mauma's name?

10. What incident led to Sarah's speech impediment? What kind of speech impediment does Sarah have?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe and analyze the characters of Israel and Rebecca Morris. What are Sarah’s first impressions of Israel Morris? How does Israel Morris differ in his viewpoints of slavery from the Grimke family? How does the relationship between Sarah Grimke and Israel Morris develop?

Essay Topic 2

Describe the courtship and marriage customs in the early 1800s. At what age were young women typically married at this time? How did marriage and courtship customs differ between the upper and lower classes? How did customs differ among the different regions of the country? How are these customs depicted in The Invention of Wings?

Essay Topic 3

Analyze the character of Handful in The Invention of Wings. How old is Handful when her character is first introduced? What is Handful’s daily life like at this time? Where does Handful fit into the hierarchy at the Grimke household? How does Handful’s character evolve through the course of the novel?

(see the answer keys)

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