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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 type of impression did Eliza give Solomon when she arrived in Williams' Slave Pen?

2. Based on the description that Solomon wrote, what did his room at Williams' Pen Slave Pen resemble?

3. Which adjective pair best described Solomon, his brother, and father?

4. What was an important factor to the slaves at the time that they were sold?

5. How were Solomon and the other slaves treated around Goodin's Pen in Richmond, Virginia?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Chapter 2 of the book, why did Solomon decide to leave Saratoga Springs and head for New York?

2. In the opening Chapter of the book, what did Solomon Northrup acknowledge as a contributing factor in his decision to write his book?

3. In Chapter 7 of the book, what set William Ford apart from the way that other slave owners treated their slaves?

4. In Chapter 6 of the book, what type of slave did Freeman's customers want to buy?

5. What lead Solomon to believe that he could consider Merrill Brown and Abram Hamilton to be friends of his in Chapter 2 of the book?

6. How did Solomon improve his life in Chapter 1 of the book?

7. In Chapter 7 of the book, how was Solomon rewarded after his lumber-transporting efforts prove to be successful in getting William Ford's lumber to its destination a lot faster?

8. What was Solomon's first impression of Eliza in Chapter 3 of the book?

9. In Chapter 5 of the story, how could Englishman John Manning be described in relation to Solomon?

10. In Chapter 6 of the book, what did Freeman's customers do to examine his merchandise before making a purchase?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

As Author Northrup told his story, he introduced plantation owners and their wives. First, there was William Ford, and his wife, Mistress Ford. Then there was Edwin Epps and his wife, Mistress Epps.

Compare and contrast the demeanor and behavior of Mistress Ford and Mistress Epps. Was it possible that the demeanor and behavior of their respective husbands toward the slaves had anything to do with the ladies' demeanor and behavior toward the slaves as well?

Discuss the interaction between Solomon and Mistress Ford, as well as Mistress Epps and Patsey. Was there a similarity or difference in the manner that they interacted with one another that perhaps influenced by the manner in which their respective husbands treated those particular slaves? If yes, explain. If no, why not?

Essay Topic 2

From time to time, Solomon planned to escape from the clutches of slavery, and sought out ways to carry it out in a physical sense. Even with the help of others, none of the ways that Solomon encountered resulted in placing a physical escape within his reach. Within his reach however, was Solomon’s violin, that provided other avenues of escape for him as a human being. Select an instance in the book in which Solomon reached for his violin for escape from his misery, and discuss how such escape type(s) were carried out, the duration of such type escape(s), and their overall effectiveness in helping Solomon feel better.

Essay Topic 3

As Twelve Years a Slave came to an end, what in your estimation, ultimately saved Solomon from having to continue his life in slavery? His resourcefulness? His faith and trust in God? Lawyer Henry B. Northrup? His perseverance? Providence? Luck in running into Samuel Bass? Samuel Bass’ friendship? Samuel Bass’ commitment to help him?

From Solomon’s standpoint, it was a combination of two factors mentioned in the preceding paragraph that ultimately saved him from having to be enslaved for life.

Using the list provided above, select the two factors that Solomon credited with restoring his freedom.

Discuss whether either factor that you have selected played a stronger or more dominant role in helping Solomon regain his freedom. If your answer is yes, identify the dominant factor that you have chosen, and explain its role. Be sure to include reasons to support your view.

In the alternative, if you feel that both factors played an equal role in putting freedom back into Solomon’s life, explain why. Be sure to include reasons to support your position.

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