Harriet Tubman Test Review

Which of the following quotes best supports the idea that Harriet Tubman had the quality of courage:

• “She kept thinking, eleven of them. Eleven thousand dollars’ worth of slaves.” And she had to take them all the way to Canada.

• "Along the Eastern Shore of Maryland, in Dorchester County, in Caroline County, the masters kept hearing whispers about the man named Moses, who was running off slaves."

• "At first they did not believe in his existence. The stories about him were fantastic, unbelievable."

Answer explanation

She knew that the slave owners would be after them as soon as they discovered that their slaves were missing. She knew that it was an incredibly dangerous mission, yet she did it anyway. That requires one to have courage.

Which one of the following quotes best supports the idea that Harriet Tubman had the quality of being inspirational:

• "She had never been in Canada... she kept painting vivid word pictures of what it would be like to be free."

• "She had announced her arrival in the quarter by singing the forbidden spiritual-"Go down, Moses, way down to Egypt Land-"singing it softly outside the door of a slave cabin, late at night."

• "The slaves whispered to each other, ear to mouth, mouth to ear, "Moses is here."

Answer explanation

Even though she had never been to Canada herself, she knew that she would need to motivate the slaves to make the entire journey. She told them about how great it would be once they finally made it there to inspire them to continue on their journey. This requires one to be inspirational.

Which one of the following quotes best supports the idea that Harriet Tubman had the quality of determination:

• "Unfortunately, the discovery was almost always made on a Sunday."

• "They stumbled along beside her, half-dead for sleep, and she urged them on, though she was as tired and as discouraged as they were."

• “Sometimes she told them about Thomas Garrett, in Wilmington. She said he was their friend even though he did not know them. He was the friend of all fugitives."

Answer explanation

Even though she was tired and discouraged, she was not about to give up on their journey. She knew that she had to be strong to keep them all moving forward toward their destination of Canada. This requires one to have determination.

In a TDA, the "A" stands for Analysis. What is 'analysis'?

• the information in a text that supports your answer

• your reasoning, combining information from the text with previous experience, that explains how/why the textual evidence you've chosen supports your answer

• direct quotes from the story that answer the question in a detailed manner

Answer explanation

Analysis is when you ask questions about a passage, like what? how? and why? You form an opinion, then find an example to support it, then explain HOW that example proves it to be true!

An example of a response containing 'analysis' would be:

• Tubman's followers trusted her. An example of this trust is when she would fall asleep and they would stay with her. From experience, I know that when you trust someone, you stick with them, especially if they their job is to protect you.

• Tubman's followers trusted her. I know this because none of them reported her to the slave owners.

• Tubman's followers trusted her. This is shown by the way they followed her without asking questions.

Answer explanation

While all three choices form an opinion and have an example, only one explains HOW the example supports the opinion.

An example of 'analysis':

• Harriet Tubman carried a gun. This shows she was brave.

• One example of Tubman's bravery was the fact that she carried a gun. I know this was a brave thing for her to do because if she would be caught with a gun, she would be killed.

• Harriet Tubman is brave because she carried a gun with her while leading people to freedom. She needed the gun to protect her people from animals and slave hunters.

Answer explanation

While all three choices form an opinion and have an example, only one explains HOW the example supports the opinion.

Which is the best example of analysis?

• I know that this example shows that Harriet Tubman was a good leader because I know from experience that people who can keep their heads in moments of stress can think better and make better decisions.

• This example shows that Harriet Tubman was a good leader because from experience, people who can keep their heads in moments of stress make the best leaders.

• This example shows that Harriet Tubman was a good leader because if I was following her, it would make me feel comfortable and safe and believe that she is a good leader.

Answer explanation

While all three choices form an opinion and have an example, only one explains HOW the example supports the opinion.

Which is the best example of 'analysis'?

• Harriet Tubman was determined. I know this because she was willing to shoot one of her followers.

• Harriet Tubman's determination can be proven by her willingness to shoot one of her followers. This was a brave thing to do because you would have to be brave to shoot someone, for any reason.

• Harriet Tubman's determination was evident by her willingness to shoot one of her followers who was threatening to return to the plantation. From experience, I know that people who are determined will often stop at nothing to reach their goal.

Answer explanation

While all three choices form an opinion and have an example, only one explains HOW the example supports the opinion.

Good 'analysis' includes:

• a direct quote from the story/text

• a connection between the textual evidence and your reasoning behind choosing that evidence

• at least two examples of evidence from the story/text

Answer explanation

An analysis finds an example to support an opinion then explains HOW it proves it, so you need to explain your reasoning behind choosing that evidence.

Another quality of Harriet Tubman is 'intelligence'. (Choose the best evidence/analysis to support this claim.)

• An example of her intelligence is her ability to remember and navigate the route along the Underground Railroad. I know this because even without the ability to read, Harriet is able to notice landmarks and how to navigate by looking at the stars. Only someone intelligent could do all that as you would have to understand astronomy and geography.

• Harriet Tubman is intelligent because she was able to figure out how to get all those people from the southern states to the North. Only a smart person could manage that many people for that distance.

• Tubman's intelligence is made evident by her ability to talk people into running away. They listen to her because she's intelligent.

Answer explanation

While all three choices form an opinion and have an example, only one explains HOW the example supports the opinion.