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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 is it that Topsy does that angers Miss Ophelia?

2. Weeks after Eva's funeral, who gets comfort from singing from an old hymn book found in a drawer?

3. After they get the letter from Tom, what does Aunt Chloe ask Mrs. Shelby to write for her?

4. Who is the "quadroon" that is the subject of chapter 34 entitled "The Quadroon's Story?"

5. Why is Lake Pontchartrain important to the action of Chapter 22?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Mr. Shelby's objection to Mrs. Shelby having taught religion to the slaves?

2. What purpose does Augustine St. Clare's defense of slavery serve to the reader?

3. How is Tom's death the epitome of selflessness and forgiveness?

4. Why might Stowe have had the significant black characters who are now free end up going to Africa to do missionary work?

5. How does the author use color and/or physical characteristics to symbolize the difference between Augustine and his daughter, Eva, and Alfred and his son, Henrique?

6. With all the happy endings in the book, why might Stowe have chosen to have Tom, the most beloved character, beat to death?

7. What do readers learn about the development of a person from the relationship between Eva and Topsy?

8. Why is Cassy a key character in through whom Stowe explores Simon Legree's temperament and treatment of slaves?

9. What is the ironic about Emmeline's being brought up "by the Bible?"

10. What event triggers the turning point in Augustine's religious beliefs and who is responsible for his religious education here?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In keeping with a literary style of her time, Harriet Beecher Stowe speaks frequently and at length directly to the reader. Choose from several instances of direct address in the chapters listed below and use them to defend or praise this stylistic device:

Chapter 12--when the author asks the reader to condemn Mr. Haley is aboard a ship for New Orleans and he discusses slavery.

Chapter 37--when the author asks the reader to imagine what George feels like when he is so close to being free.

Chapter 38--when the author asks the reader to imagine what it feels like for Tom to know he is dying.

Chapter 45--when the author uses the whole chapter to "talk" to reader about what the country must do to abolish slavery.

Essay Topic 2

There are several characters in Uncle Tom's Cabin who exemplify courage; conversely, there are several who exemplify cowardice. Identify these characters as their depiction of courage or cowardice. Then specifically refer to what actions or words of theirs come to embody these qualities and define courage and cowardice.

Essay Topic 3

While the author is writing to protest and put an end to slavery, she was writing for a significant portion of the population that believed slavery was necessary to their economy. On a very basic level, she had to show what was evil about slavery. What situations did she create to most effectively show the evils of slavery? To discuss this, review the treatments of specific slaves in specific incidents such as Tom, Eliza, George, Aunt Chloe, Emmeline, and Topsy.

(see the answer keys)

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