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Final Assessment Questions

The final assessment activity for Freshman Seminar will be held during the final exam period for each section. The questions will be chosen from the following, or from questions very similar to the following. Your Freshman Seminar instructor will give you further instructions and guidelines.

multiple-choice questions | essay questions

Multiple-Choice Questions
Chapter 1
  1. Where was Frederick Douglass born?
    1. Tuckahoe
    2. Raleigh
    3. Baltimore
    4. Atlanta
       
  2. Why does Douglass have no knowledge of his birth date?
    1. A fire destroyed the records.
    2. His mother died when he was young.
    3. Slave owners keep their slaves ignorant of their birth dates.
    4. He left his personal record behind when he escaped.
       
  3. What was Frederick Douglass’s mother's name?
    1. Lucretia
    2. Harriet
    3. Mrs. Stewart
    4. Mrs. Austin
       
  4. What was Frederick Douglass's father's name?
    1. Thomas
    2. Mr. Auld
    3. Mr. Severe
    4. Douglass did not know for sure.
  5. How many years did Douglass live with his mother?
    1. 17 
    2. 10
    3. 7
    4. 0
  6. What event does Douglas connect with his introduction to the horrors of slavery?
    1. His birth
    2. Captain Anthony’s whipping of Aunt Hester
    3. Gore’s Killing of Demby
    4. Learning to read
Chapter 2
  1. What was the nickname given to Colonel Lloyd’s plantation?
    1. Great House Farm
    2. Great Escape
    3. Great Farms
    4. Great Living
       
  2. Slaves chosen to run errands from outlying farms to Colonel Lloyd's home plantation were generally
    1. resentful, because it meant extra work.
    2. proud, because it meant they enjoyed the confidence of their masters.
    3. terrified, because it meant they would be sold.
    4. young, because old slaves could no longer travel that far.
       
  3. Douglass interprets slave songs to be all of the following EXCEPT which?
    1. Prayers to God
    2. Calls to action
    3. Testimonies against slavery
    4. Expressions of anguish
Chapter 3
  1. How did Colonel Lloyd keep slaves out of the garden?
    1. Putting tar on the fence
    2. Moving the garden
    3. Putting poison on the food in the garden
    4. Both A & C
       
  2. Because Colonel Lloyd took great pride in his horses, the slaves who cared for them were
    1. treated better than other slaves.
    2. beaten every time they were suspected of inattention.
    3. replaced often to prevent them from harming the horses.
    4. always children of the master and a slave.
       
  3. According to Douglass, why did slaves, when asked about their treatment, generally reply that their masters were kind?
    1. Most masters were in fact kind to their slaves.
    2. Slaves did not feel pain when beaten by their masters.
    3. Slaves were afraid negative comments would get back to their masters, who would punish them.
    4. Masters bribed their slaves with lavish gifts to make them lie about their condition. 
Chapter 4
  1. When the overseer Mr. Gore shot and killed a slave who had run from a whipping, the slaveowner
    1. had Mr. Gore prosecuted for murder.
    2. made Mr. Gore pay for destroying the owner's property.
    3. fired Mr. Gore for losing control of his slave.
    4. allowed Mr. Gore to continue in his job.
Chapter 5
  1. What was one of the jobs that Douglass was assigned to do on Colonel Lloyd’s plantation?
    1. Keeping the front yard clean
    2. Working the fields
    3. Feeding the animals
    4. Entertaining his master
       
  2. Who gave Douglass and the other slaves enough food to eat?
    1. Colonel Lloyd
    2. Master William Hamilton
    3. Mr. George Cookman
    4. Thomas Auld
       
  3. At what age did Douglass first move to Baltimore?
    a. 17 or 18
    b. 13 or 14
    c. 7 or 8
    d. 3 or 4
     
  4. When Douglass learned that he was being sent to Baltimore, he experienced
    1. regret at leaving his family.
    2. fear of the unknown.
    3. ecstasy at the prospect of seeing a big city.
    4. nothing, because he had no concept of a big city.
Chapter 6
  1. What was the key to freedom, according to Douglass?
    1. Hard work
    2. Happiness
    3. Knowledge
    4. Respect
       
  2. Why did Douglass's mistress in Baltimore stop teaching him to read?
    1. She did not know how to teach Douglass more than the letters of the alphabet.
    2. Douglass learned to read and no longer needed her instruction.
    3. Her husband prohibited her from teaching Douglass.
    4. Douglass lost interest in learning to read.
Chapter 7
  1. After his mistress stopped teaching him, who helped Douglass learn to read?
    1. Sympathetic white ministers.
    2. White boys from his neighborhood.
    3. Other slaves.
    4. His mother.
       
  2. Once Douglass learned to read, he
    1. was happier as a slave, because he could read about freedom.
    2. became more discontented as a slave, because he could read about freedom.
    3. discovered that no one was willing to help slaves achieve freedom.
    4. discovered that blacks were the only people who had to fight for freedom.
Chapter 8
  1. When Douglass's owner Captain Anthony died, his slaves were
    1. emancipated in accordance with his will.
    2. assessed for their value alongside livestock.
    3. assessed separately from livestock and real estate.
    4. sold and replaced by new slaves.
  2. When Douglass's grandmother grew too old to work, her owner
    1. had her killed to avoid supporting her.
    2. built her a hut and left her to support herself.
    3. allowed her children and grandchildren to care for her.
    4. gave her a pension to reward her years of service.
Chapter 9
  1. Douglass found that religious slaveowners
    1. tended to treat their slaves better than non-religious slaveowners.
    2. were worse than other slaveowners.
    3. worked their slaves as hard as non-religious slaveowners, but allowed them to read the Bible.
    4. tried to prevent their slaves from converting to Christianity.
Chapter 10
  1. After Douglass fought with Mr. Covey, the overseer
    1. had Douglass publicly whipped as an example to other slaves.
    2. kept Douglass separated from other slaves to prevent his rebelliousness from spreading.
    3. never whipped Douglass again.
    4. had Douglass sold to another slaveowner.
       
  2. According to Douglass, masters gave slaves the holidays between Christmas and New Year's day in order to
    1. show their appreciation for the work slaves did the rest of the year.
    2. give slaves time to participate in religious services.
    3. make slaves sick of freedom by encouraging drunkenness and idle games.
    4. trade places with slaves for one week of the year.
       
  3. Why did Douglass's first attempt to excape slavery fail?
    1. He lost nerve and gave up.
    2. He decided that slavery was preferable to the uncertainty of free life.
    3. He was betrayed by someone who learned of his plan.
    4. He was caught as he crossed the border into a free state.
       
  4. What happens to Douglass and others when their escape plan is discovered?
    1. They are all sold to slave traders.
    2. They are all executed except Douglass.
    3. They are all emancipated except Douglass.
    4. They are all returned to their plantations except Douglass.
Chapter 11
  1. How does Douglass get enough money to escape?
    1. He hires out his time and saves money slowly.
    2. Hugh Auld gives him money.
    3. He steals.
    4. He borrows from his fiancee.
       
  2. How does Douglass escape from slavery?
    1. He overpowers his overseer and steals a horse.
    2. He does not say.
    3. He hides in a ship bound for Philadelphia.
    4. He uses the Underground Railroad.
       
  3. Douglass found that Northernors were
    1. relatively poorer than Southernors, because Northernors did not own slaves.
    2. relatively richer than Southernors, despite the fact that they did not own slaves.
    3. equally as wealthy as Southernors, because free labor produced the same level of income as slave labor.
    4. impossible to compare with Southernors, because their lifestyles were so different.
       
  4. Once he gained his freedom, Douglass
    1. found it difficult to work, because he no longer feared punishment.
    2. took a long vacation to make up for his years of unpaid labor.
    3. enjoyed his work, because he was now his own master.
    4. immediately found work as an anti-slavery speaker.

Essay Questions
  1. Why do you think it was important for slave owners to keep slaves ignorant about their birthdays and parentage? Douglass opens his story by telling us that he is troubled by not knowing when he was born. Why is this fact so important to him?
     
  2. Douglass presents much of his narrative in a factual tone and avoids personal opinions, yet the story is full of emotion. How is this possible? Where do you find evidence of emotion?
     
  3. Throughout the Narrative, Douglass expresses his belief that education will set him free. What does he mean by this? Is this essentially an optimistic view? If he could visit us today, do you think he would still hold this view?
     
  4. Douglass’ marriage to his white secretary in the later part of his life caused considerable discomfort among his white and black friends and acquaintances. Douglass had this to say about his marriage: “They would have no objections to my marrying a person much darker in complexion than myself, but to marry someone much lighter, and of the complexion of my father rather than my mother, was, in the popular eye, a shocking offense.” To what extent have attitudes regarding interracial marriage changed? From his Narrative, what can you discern about his opinions regarding interracial marriage and/or procreation?
     
  5. The interracial concerns and problems Douglass expressed still affect us today. How will these problems diminish? Consider a disunited and disenfranchised African-American population, alcoholism/drug addiction among African-Americans, and the matter of whites fearing that minorities will take their jobs away.
     
  6. The underlying assumption and philosophy of Douglass’ Narrative is that humans can (and must) create their destiny. Comment on Douglass’ philosophy, citing examples and illustrations.
     
  7. Several times in his Narrative, Douglass expresses his view that slavery is bad for both whites and blacks. In what ways is slavery detrimental to the South?
     
  8. Douglass writes of religion,
    "What I have said respecting and against religion, I mean strictly to apply to the slaveholding religion of this land, and with no possible reference to Christianity proper; for, between the Christianity of this land, and the Christianity of Christ, I recognize the widest possible difference—so wide, that to receive the one as good, pure, and holy, is of necessity to reject the other as bad, corrupt, and wicked."
    -Imagine that you are a contemporary of Douglass (say, 1830s). Would you agree or disagree with the above statement?
    -Now, consider Douglass’ statement from your current perspective?
    -Do you still respond to the statement the same way? Explain. Try to use contemporary examples to support your answer.