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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. After they argue about the dangers to Harriet in The Middle of May 1820, what does Harriet tell Thruston to do?

2. What does Bankhead try to force Harriet to do?

3. How does Jefferson say Harriet will get her freedom if he dies before she turns 21?

4. When Harriet was a small child, what did she ask her mother to ask God to do if he came while she was out?

5. What reason is Harriet given for the possibility of being sold after Jefferson's death if she doesn't accept her freedom?

Short Essay Questions

1. What fate does Martha wish for Bankhead?

2. Why is it unusual that Harriet, a slave, is allowed to use Jefferson's library?

3. What example does Harriet give to show that people are not always what they seem to be in the section called April 1820?

4. How does the author hint in the December 1819 section that Sally has a special relationship with Jefferson?

5. When Jefferson discovers Harriet in Sally's room, what answer does she give when he asks whom she thinks the clothes are for?

6. Why is Harriet elated at the conversation she has with Jefferson after he discovers her in Sally's room?

7. How does Randolph plan to protect Harriet from the overseer forcing her to become engaged to a slave?

8. What features does Harriet have that make her different from the other slaves on the plantation?

9. According to Sally, how can Harriet help other black people by passing as white?

10. If Harriet stays at Monticello and Jefferson dies, Thruston says the slaves will all be sold to pay Jefferson's debt. What is Thruston's concern for Harriet if this should happen?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In Wolf by the Ears the major schools of thought or attitudes toward slavery that were present in Jefferson's time are represented. The reader encounters these viewpoints embodied by various characters: 1) Slavery is wrong and should be abolished; 2) Slavery is completely acceptable and should continue; and 3) Slavery is a gray area with no clear answer. Identify at least one character who embodies each of these viewpoints and discuss how that character illustrates the view.

Essay Topic 2

Harriet tells Beverly that by passing for white, she is not turning her back on her family and her heritage, she is merely embracing her other half. What does she mean by this? Can she ever truly embrace her white side without turning her back on her black side? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

Sally is a very complex character. She is at once a slave and a lover, a mother and a woman who pushes her children away. She has definite reasons for all of the things she does, yet she doesn't overtly express her reasons. What impact do her contrasting roles have on Harriet's life? What effect does her inability to express her feelings and reasons to her children have on them?

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