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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 Harriet afraid Beverly may never do?

2. Who tutors Harriet?

3. What is the name of the slave who has been telling everyone that he is going to marry Harriet?

4. After Harriet is attacked, who does Randolph send to get Sally?

5. How many of Sally's daughters died in infancy before Harriet was born?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

4. In the section titled The Third Week of May 1820, what bothers Harriet about passing as white?

5. What is Mammy Ursula's answer to Harriet when she asks why Sally didn't taker her freedom when she was in France?

6. Why is Harriet upset when she finds clothes in Sally's room that Sally is making for her?

7. After speaking with Thruston about Jefferson's eventual death, what does Harriet realize will happen to her some day, whether she leaves the plantation or not?

8. What answer does Harriet give Randolph when he asks her what she considers herself to be?

9. Why does Mammy Ursula think Harriet should take her freedom even if she doesn't want it?

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

Which characters play a role in making Harriet see how important it is to take her freedom? What do they do that helps to convince her? Why are these characters successful in convincing her even when her own mother is not?

Essay Topic 2

Harriet's brother Tom left the plantation before the story began. Initially, the reader is told he ran away and that's why no one talks about him. Later we learn that he is living as a white man with a wife and children. What does Tom represent in this novel? Does he represent an acceptance of passing for white or anger at the idea of passing for white?

Essay Topic 3

The question of Harriet's paternity is an overlying theme in this book. Why is who Harriet's father is so important to her? Do we ever know for certain that Jefferson is her father? Why do you think the author deals with the question of her paternity in this manner?

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This section contains 679 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample