Frederick Douglass: A Biography

Why does Douglass say that learning to read was a curse rather than a blessing?

• It showed his horrible situation, but not how to escape it.

• No books were available so he had nothing to read.

• He was upset that his slave owners would be angry with him.

• The young boys who helped him could get in serious trouble.

What was Douglass's purpose for writing his autobiography?

• to make readers think writing is important

• to inform readers about the life of a slave

• to express feelings about Master Hugh

• to tell an interesting story from his past

According to the text, What year was Frederick Douglass born?

• 1890

• 1895

• 1818

• 1918

Shares the subject's personal thoughts and feelings about his/her life

• Autobiography
• Biography
• Both
• Neither

What is a plantation?

• Small family farms that were used to help feed single families

• Large family houses that were passes down from generation to generation

• Large estates that grew cash crops, like cotton and sugar, using

  slave labor.

• Small communities that were made up of farmers and slave laborers

Why didn't Douglass know his mother very well?

• She was constantly dissatisfied with him

• He never saw his mother before he was sold

• She worked on a different plantation

• She died during childbirth

At an early age, what did Douglass realize about reading and writing?

• He realized there was a connection between literacy and freedom

• He realized that he would never be able to read or write without asking for help

• He realized that reading and writing were simply a way that the white man felt superiod

• He realized that reading and writing were a waste of his time

According to the text, where did Douglass teach himself how to read and write?

• While he was working in his master's home

• While he was out in the fields and plantations

• He would sneak into school just to try to listen to the lessons

• On the streets of Baltimore

According to the text, what happened when Douglass was 15 years of age?

• He was hired as a body servant in the house

• He was made as a field hand, where he rebelled intensely

• He was given the opportunity to learn how to read and write

• He was forced to work inside the household to help educate the white children

Who was Anna Murray?

• Douglass's slave owner's wife

• A young free black woman the helped him escape

• The person who helped him how to read the most

• A young teacher who allowed him to attend classes in secret