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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. What happens to nine-year-old Abundance Crawford during the journey south with the slave traders?

2. Who are the majority of the employees at the hotel/restaurant/saloon that Alice, Priscilla, and James own in Washington, D.C.?

3. Who believes Fern and her husband continue to owe four hundred and fifty dollars?

4. Who runs away from the Townsend Plantation under pressure from Moses?

5. How much does Caldonia estimate Alice, Priscilla, and Jamie are worth based on the books Henry kept in regard to the slaves?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Moses force Celeste to work in the fields even though she claims to be sick?

2. How does Mildred get killed?

3. Who buys Jebediah Dickinson upon learning that he is not free, but is a slave owned by a cruel pastor?

4. Why is Jebediah Dickinson arrested? What lie is revealed upon this arrest?

5. What happens to Celeste that causes many of the slaves and Caldonia to begin questioning their faith in Moses?

6. What does Counsel find in Mildred's house?

7. Why does Moses encourages Alice, his wife, and son to run away?

8. What object will Tessie, Elias' daughter, ask her children and grandchildren to find for her on her death bed?

9. What does Caldonia buy for her slaves that she earlier rejected but now sees as an asset.

10. Why does Saskia Wilhelm's husband force her into prostitution? Where does Saskia end up?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the treatment of slaves in this novel. Who treated the slaves worse, the white plantation owners, the white lawmen, the black slave owners, or the slave overseers? What are the differences between the various treatment of the slaves? Who thought they treated the slaves better? Did they? Why or why not? Is it possible to treat a slave kindly? Should slaves have been freed by their black owners? Is it more morally corrupt for a freed slave to own a slave than a white man who has always been free? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss one of the following, citing references from the book:

1) Caldonia has the choice to free or continue owning her slaves. Which does she choose and why?

2) Caldonia's mother stresses that slaves are a legacy. Discuss this opinion.

3) Calvin, Caldonia's twin brother, wants to free the slaves. Discuss why and how his opinion impacts his actions throughout the novel

Essay Topic 3

Why is Augustus stopped on the road as he travels home after selling some furniture? Who stops him? What do they ask to see? What do they do with this item? Why? Who comes across this scene? What do these people offer the newcomers? Why is Augustus sold into slavery? Is there a law against this? What is the law? How might it help Augustus? Why does this law not help Augustus at this point?

(see the answer keys)

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