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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 alarms Washington about the sexton's activities in Part II, Chapter 4?

2. What does Big Kit make sure to do when she and Washington arrive at the big house in Chapter 4?

3. What plantation does Titch tell the ship's captain they are from?

4. In the beginning of Chapter 3, what age and condition is Washington Black in?

5. What does Erasmus do to the slave William's corpse?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Washington first meet Titch?

2. Why do Titch and Washington have to flee Faith plantation very quickly in Part II, Chapter 1?

3. What alarms Washington about Edgar Farrow, the sexton outside of Norfolk who Titch goes to for help?

4. What is Washington's first impression of the town when he sees it for the first time in Chapter 8?

5. In Chapter 2, why does Kit delay with her plan to save herself and Washington?

6. What does Washington remember as the previous time he was wounded, before he was burned in the explosion, in Chapter 9?

7. In Chapter 8, why does Titch ask Erasmus for the use of more slaves?

8. How does Washington discover his great talent, and what is that talent?

9. What startling notice does Titch find in the post office in Norfolk, Virginia in Part II, Chapter 3?

10. What prompts Washington to move into the path of the explosion in Chapter 9?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does Washington eventually come to view Titch's motivations in helping him escape captivity, and Titch's morally commendable views in favor of abolition, in a more negative light? Why and how do Washington's perceptions of Titch's motivations change? Write an essay explaining your answer.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay analyzing the differences between the ways Washington is treated on Faith plantation, as a slave; in the United States, as a free black man; and in Canada, also as a free black man.

Essay Topic 3

At the end of the novel, after Washington has finally tracked down Titch and asked him the questions he has been longing to ask, do you think Washington has found the answers and closure he has sought all through the years since his separation from Titch? Write an essay explaining your answer, citing specific references to the text.

(see the answer keys)

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