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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. Who had Solomon been thinking about right before the carriage went by on its way to the main house of the Epps Plantation?

2. Why did Edwin Epps refuse to get rid of Patsey despite being urged to do so by Mrs. Epps?

3. What was the reason upon which Solomon based his bellief that Bass had left Marksville quietly?

4. What did Solomon receive for Christmas, 1852?

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

Short Essay Questions

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

2. How did Mr. Eldret show respect for Solomon in Chapter 11 of the book?

3. Why did Solomon feels more like a real human being while working for Judge Turner in Chapter 14 of the book?

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

5. 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?

6. In Chapter 19 of the book, how did Samuel Bass cooperate with Solomon in terms of helping him get his freedom restored?

7. In Chapter 15 of the story, what were some of the everyday things that Solomon and the other slaves did not miss at Christmastime?

8. What happened to some of the slaves who tried to escape from a life in slavery in Chapter 17 of the book?

9. In Chapter 17, how did Lew Cheney show that he was not the leader whom he claimed to be among the slaves who were planning to escape to Mexico?

10. What type of consequences did Epps have to face for chasing the young and beautiful slave, Patsey in Chapter 16 of the book?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Throughout the book, Author Solomon Northrup discussed the fact that planters treated their slaves as property. Northrup described how slave after slave was beaten by his or her planter, to the point of scarring them, thus lowering the slave’s value; or causing immobilization to the point that the slave was no longer able to work.

Should the planters’ behavior in beating their slaves therefore, been considered self-destructive in nature since in essence upon beating their slaves, the planters were reducing the value of or destroying their own property? Please state your position, plus list and discuss the reason(s) upon which you are relying to support your position.

Essay Topic 2

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.

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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