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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. At the end of the Chapter 16, what aspect of work does Tom say he has experience with?

2. Who is Augustine St. Clare?

3. What does George accomplish that shows he has talent?

4. In which state is Chapter 1 set?

5. What "happy days" does Eliza think of as she leaves the Shelby house?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is unusual about Young Master Shelby teaching Tom how to write?

2. What is the effect of describing the actual cabin of Uncle Tom as a place where flowers grow and people worship and eat together?

3. What is effect of the description of life at the Hallidays?

4. How does one detect a difference in the manners between Mr. Shelby and Mr. Haley?

5. Compare or contrast Mr. Shelby's and Mr. Haley's opinions on how to treat slaves should be treated.

6. What does the reader learn in Chapters 2 and 3 about Eliza's past as a mother?

7. How does the reader know that Mr. Shelby regards his wife's happiness as important?

8. Why do black people in the novel freely use the "n" word?

9. The author, Harriet Beecher Stowe, feels it is important for her readers to know the substance of the Fugitive Slave Act. What does she do inform the reader of this law?

10. Why might the author so frequently speak directly to the reader and asks the reader questions as she does in the last four to five paragraphs at the end of this chapter?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The term "Uncle Tom" has come to have a very disparaging, insulting meaning in our modern society. It has come to describe an African American whom other African Americans consider to be subservient to white people and who treats whites in a way that suggests they are superior. This term comes from the novel Uncle Tom's Cabin. After reading this novel, decide whether a reader should be empathetic to Tom's treatment of whites or whether this character deserves this reputation. Obviously, to answer this question, the writer must refer to specific deeds or quotations from the novel.

Essay Topic 2

In Uncle Tom's Cabin, Stowe has her principle black characters return to Africa and do missionary work. Evaluate that "ending" versus having them remain in Canada. What does this ending suggest about her feelings about:

a. racial integration,

b. the eventual abolition of slavery,

c. the contribution of blacks to American society, and

d. the obligation that white Americans had to the slaves that they obtained and exploited?

You may decide to write about three or all four of these topics.

Essay Topic 3

One of the themes of Uncle Tom's Cabin explores man's inhumanity to his fellow man. Discuss this theme by referring to specific incidents in the novel or relationships that expand on this theme.

(see the answer keys)

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