View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Which male pair below provided Solomon with sweet type work?

2. What did Bass view as a more effective means for getting help for Solomon to be freed from slavery?

3. What was Solomon doing when the carriage whisked by on its way to the main house of the Epps Plantation?

4. For the most part, why did whippings occur with high frequency at the Epps plantation?

5. In general, how did Bass view slavery?

Short Essay Questions

1. What could cause trouble for the slaves weighing the cotton that they had picked at the plantation run by Epps in Chapter 13 of the book?

2. In Chapter 16 of the book, how did Solomon lead Epps to believe that he was making the slaves work hard in the cotton field?

3. How did Samuel Bass show others that he was against slavery in Chapter 19 of the book?

4. In Chapter 15 of the story, what type of festivities did the slaves in Bayou Bœuf enjoy at Christmastime?

5. In Chapter 13 of the story, what was expected of the slaves who worked the cotton fields for Epps?

6. In Chapter 11 of the book, what did Solomon appreciate about the time that he spent at the Ford Plantation following his trek through the Great Pacoudrie Swamp?

7. What type of situations involved long waiting times that Solomon had to endure in Chapter 20 of the book?

8. In Chapter 15 of the book, how did the slaves in Bayou Bœuf change at Christmastime?

9. Why was Lew Cheney not liked by some of the slaves in Bayou Bœuf in Chapter 17 of the book?

10. In Chapter 12 of the story, why was the day following a night of Epps drinking especially hard on the slaves?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

When introduced to the reader, Eliza was an elegant and confident lady. She was well-dressed in silks and jewelry, envisioning a life in freedom for herself and her children; and could not understand why she was standing in Williams’ Slave Pen in Washington City. Within a short period of time however, a very changed and different Eliza came into view.

What were the changes that took place in Eliza? Detail the changes. Were there any events that took place in the life of Eliza that triggered those changes? If yes, detail the event(s). If no, detail any other factor(s) that caused Eliza to change.

Essay Topic 2

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 3

Solomon said that he understood why a religious man like William Ford could be religious and yet own slaves at the same time. He stated that the environment that Mr. Ford had been raised in, had led him to believe that owning another man was normal and acceptable.

Taking into consideration the way that William Ford operated -- he owned slaves, but gave them Bibles, explain why either his practice of religion or his practice of owning slaves appeared to be more important to him. Be sure to include reasons in support for the selection that you make.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,125 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample