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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 does Jefferson make Harriet promise not to do In The Third Week of May 1820?

2. How has Randolph always behaved toward Harriet?

3. What did Harriet want to ask God when she was a small child?

4. How much time passes before Harriet has a chance to write in her journal for the first time?

5. While she sits in the kitchen, who tells Harriet that she will most likely be sold when Jefferson dies if she remains at Monticello?

Short Essay Questions

1. What fate does Martha wish for Bankhead?

2. At the beginning of the book, how is it shown that Jefferson is a private man?

3. Why is Harriet worried about Beverly in April 20, That Same Day?

4. When Harriet speaks to Jefferson for the first time after Bankhead attacks her, why does she feel surprised and grateful?

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

6. In April 1820, why does Harriet say she's afraid to accept her freedom?

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

8. What important point does Randolph give Harriet to consider during April 1820?

9. 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?

10. Why do most people say that Thomas Mann Randolph is crazy?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

Essay Topic 2

Slavery is painted in a fairly rosy light in Wolf by the Ears. Yet, we know that this was not the norm. Why do you think the author glosses over the grittier aspects of slavery? What purpose does this serve in terms of the novel? If slaves had been treated poorly at Monticello, how might Harriet's journey toward freedom have been different?

Essay Topic 3

Harriet's need for security is in direct contrast to her mother's desire for Harriet's freedom. Yet, we might also see her freedom as offering another kind of security. In what ways does life on the plantation offer Harriet security? In what ways does freedom offer security? What risks are involved in both life on the plantation and freedom? Why does Harriet ultimately choose freedom?

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