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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 item was used to discipline slaves?

2. Mammy referred to her slave days as what?

3. Where did some of the most emotional scenes of slave trading take place?

4. What was the typical work hours for a slave who worked in the field?

5. Who said the following: "I have never seen or heard from her from that day to this. I loved her as I love my life."

Short Essay Questions

1. What was the importance of music in the lives of the slaves?

2. What was the overall reaction from the slave community once they were freed?

3. What were some ways that the slaves celebrated and had fun?

4. How effective was the Emancipation Proclamation once it was issued in 1863?

5. What was one of the big problems that arose after slaves were emancipated?

6. What was the story of Powhatan Mitchell and what did it signify?

7. Discuss the story of Lev Cheney.

8. Why was the Civil War declared and by which President?

9. What were three ways that the Prologue mentions in which slave trading was carried out?

10. What were some ways in which the slaves learned to resist the brainwashing and dehumanizing tactics of the slave owners?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Many people blame the national government for many problems. In the case of slavery, what role should government have played? Should they have intervened years before and if they had, what might have resulted? When the Civil War started, it was not because of slavery. Was this, too, a fault of the government for not making the issue of slavery a primary concern? How did it eventually become a primary concern? And after the war ended, what plans did the government have for the end of slavery, if any? How did President Abraham Lincoln handle things?

Essay Topic 2

There is a very long narrative about a slave named Paul in the novel. Give a brief summary about the story. Why is it included in the novel? Discuss what Paul symbolizes. What happens to Paul in the end? Discuss the reason for Paul's decision for his own life and how the narrator of Paul's story feels about it. Do you agree with Paul's decision? Why or why not? The narrator notes the iron collar around Paul's neck. What does it symbolize? The narrator also notes the three bells. What do they symbolize?

Essay Topic 3

Slavery was not always present in the United States nor were the blacks the first slaves. Why did slavery begin and how did colonists eventually move to using blacks as slaves? How were the slaves captured and how did the slave trading begin?

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