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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. Aside from Bibles, what did William Ford provide his slaves that other slave owners seemed to overlook or not consider to provide them with at all?

2. Why was Solomon confident that everything would be fine at home if he left town with Merrill Brown and Abram Hamilton?

3. How were Solomon and Arthur (the slave who boards the Orleans in Norfolk) fundamentally alike?

4. From what Solomon could tell, what was the exterior design of Williams' Slave Pen in Washington City supposed to accomplish?

5. What circumstances allowed Solomon Northrup to be born a free man?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Chapter 3 of the book, what type of role did Jacob Brooks play in the life of Eliza?

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

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

4. What prompted Solomon to want to help William Ford in terms of saving time and raising profits in Chapter 7 of the book?

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

6. In Chapter 8 of the book, how did Mr. Chapin protect Solomon from being hurt or murdered by John Tibeats?

7. 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?

8. In Chapter 2 of the book, how did Merrill Brown and Abram Hamilton persuade Solomon to travel to New York with them?

9. In Chapter 7 of the book, how could Solomon's new master, William Ford be characterized?

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

In Twelve Years a Slave, Solomon was treated harshly and without respect by white men whom he came in contact with, either through master/slave-type interaction, or through a different type of circumstance or coincidence. On the other side of the coin however, it should be noted that Solomon was also treated well and with respect by white men whom he came in contact with, either through master/slave-type interaction, or through a different type of circumstance or coincidence. In fact, some even took action on his behalf, to restore his rights and privileges as a free man, and even as a slave.

Name two (2) white men who treated Solomon well and with respect. Describe the type of contact and interaction that they had with Solomon that qualified them to be acknowledged in a positive way in their dealings with him.

Also discuss the action that those men took toward helping Solomon restore his rights and privileges as a free man.

Essay Topic 2

Close to the end of Twelve Years a Slave, Solomon was upset about the role that Burch had played in casting him into the throes of slavery. In relation to Burch being acquitted of any wrongdoing in the matter, Solomon wrote:

“I took pains to seek him out, to confront him in a court of law, charging him with the crime of kidnapping; and the only motive that impelled me to this step, was a burning sense of the wrong he had inflicted upon me, and a desire to bring him to justice. He was acquitted, in the manner, and by such means as have been described. A human tribunal has permitted him to escape; but there is another and a higher tribunal, where false testimony will not prevail, and where I am willing, so far at least as these statements are concerned, to be judged at last.”

Define the terms, “human tribunal” and “higher tribunal” as Solomon used them in his writing. Explain what you understood the terms to mean, why they were likely to have special meaning for Solomon; whether and how either or both terms tied into a particular theme in the story — and how those connections if any, occurred.

Essay Topic 3

Instead of treating them with the dignity and respect that human beings deserved, the slave dealers in the book treated the slaves whom they intended to sell at various slave pens, quite similar to the way that ordinary shopkeepers treated the merchandise that they intended to sell in their stores.

What were some of the similarities that the slave dealers shared with shopkeepers as they prepared to conduct their respective sales? Were there any similarities between the slave dealers and shopkeepers as they conducted their respective sales? If there were, please describe them. How did the slaves feel about themselves in relation to the sales-related actions that the slave dealers would take as they went about conducting their business?

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