Learning to Read

Based on the text, which of the following is not a way slaves learned to read?

• by stealing books and teaching themselves.

• by hiding pages of a book and teaching themselves.

• by memorizing books.

• by listening to other people being taught.

Which of the following would the speaker of the poem agree with?

• The only way to learn how to read is by studying the Bible.

• You should only learn to read if you are young.

• She would not be able to read without the Yankees' help.

• Learning to read is a worthwhile endeavor, no matter how hard it may be.

Which of the following phrases best describes how the speaker feels about being able to read?

• proud and thrilled

• happy but nervous

• scared and uncertain

• shocked and appalled.

Which of the following best summarizes the action of this poem?

• A slave girl reflects on her childhood when she was denied the right to an education. She describes the great risks that she and other slaves took in order to learn.

• A speaker, who was once a slave, describes how she managed to escape so that she could attend school in the North.

• The narrator, a slave holder, describes her childhood growing up on a plantation in the South.

• The speaker, a former slave, describes the extreme brutality she experienced under the hand of Mr. Turner, the slave master.

Which of the following best describes the author’s most likely purpose for writing this poem?

• To warn other slaves about certain dangerous escape routes

• To teach other slaves how to avoid getting caught with papers and books

• To spread awareness about the injustices of slavery and the benefits of education

• To incite a rebellion against Mr. Turner and other slave holders

Which of the following best describes the speaker’s feeling about eventually learning how to read?

• The speaker feels scared that the slave masters will find out and hurt her.

• The speaker feels powerful because she can access knowledge on her own.

• The speaker feels unsure about how education will affect her future.

• The speaker feels resentful toward the Yankees that set up schools. The speaker feels resentful toward the Yankees that set up schools.

Choose a quote from the passage that best supports the statement below: The purpose of this poem is to "spread awareness about the injustices of slavery and the benefits of education."

• “And put the words together, and learn by hook or crook.”

• “He’d have thought them greasy papers, but nothing to be read.”

• “Then I got a little cabin, a place to call my own.”

• “Knowledge didn’t agree with slavery – T’would make us all too wise.”

Which of the following lines best describes the kinds of actions that enslaved people would take in order to educate themselves?

• “Our masters always tried to hide/Book learning from our eyes;”

• “Well, the Northern folks kept sending/The Yankee teachers down;”

• “And I longed to read my Bible,/For precious words it said;”

• “And greased the pages of his book,/And hid it in his hat.”

Which of the following best explains why people don’t believe the speaker can learn to read?

• She was formerly enslaved.

• She is a woman.

• Her eyesight is too poor.

• She is too old.

Which of the following is a common method used to teach children how to read?

• Phonics

• Numerology

• Astrology

• Alchemy