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WorksheetsUnit 3
Total questions: 19
Worksheet time: 18mins
In his Fourth of July speech, why does Douglass say to his audience that “The Fourth of July is yours, not mine”?
He believes that, too often, African Americans such as himself are excluded from celebrations of public holidays.
He believes that enslaved persons should not celebrate the Fourth until they have earned their freedom.
He and others like him do not believe in some of the key values represented by the holiday.
He contends that the liberty affirmed by the holiday has been denied to African Americans such as himself.
In his Fourth of July speech, Douglass says that “above your national, tumultuous joy, I hear the wail of millions.” To what is he referring?
the angry protest of African Americans against slavery
the extensive sufferings of enslaved African Americans
the anger of slaveholders opposed to slaves’ freedom
the outrage of Northerners opposed to slavery
Which of the following best summarizes Douglass’s judgment of the “conduct of this nation” in his Fourth of July speech?
By engaging in slavery, the United States commits a crime, revealing the evil principles on which it was founded.
By engaging in slavery, the United States disgraces itself, violating the principles of independence it celebrates.
By celebrating liberty, the United States offers hope, showing that it will free the slaves despite its mistreatment of them.
By celebrating liberty, the United States redeems itself, showing that despite slavery, it still has good intentions.
A synonym is a word that means nearly the same as another word. Which of the following words are synonyms of stolid? Choose three options.
unemotional
unfriendly
expressionless
unexcitable
frightened
In which of the following situations has a person most clearly conceded something? Choose based on your knowledge of the meaning of conceded.
Tomas told the team that he was taking a break from practice.
Sid finally accepted the truth and logic of Sara’s argument.
Mikela let Miguel go ahead of her in line at the cafeteria.
Ramon and Taylor agreed to a debate on a controversial topic.
If there is a disparity between Mia’s grades this year and her grades last year, which of the following must be true?
Mia’s grades this year are the same as they were last year.
Mia’s grades this year are worse than they were last year.
Mia’s grades this year are better than they were last year.
Mia’s grades this year are different than they were last year.
Which of the following is the best definition of denounce?
punish severely
criticize harshly
announce loudly
reason clearly
In his Fourth of July speech, Douglass asks, “Must I undertake to prove that the slave is a man?” Why does he reject the idea that he must give this proof?
He believes that if anyone should prove or disprove this claim, it is the slaveholders.
He believes that the nation refuses to see the contradictions between its ideals and the practice of slavery.
He believes that the rights of enslaved people are clearly supported by the Bible and the Constitution.
He believes that even those who support slavery already admit that slaves are people.
In his Fourth of July speech, Douglass imagines someone in the audience who believes he should “argue” and “persuade” more and criticize less in order to serve his cause more effectively. Which answer choice best summarizes Douglass’s response to this individual?
He adjusts his language and his argument and decides to speak more persuasively.
He claims that the reasons to oppose slavery are so obvious that no argument is needed.
He states that slaveholders are too stubborn to be persuaded by his arguments.
He claims that the Declaration of Independence and the Bible present the best arguments against slavery.
Read the following quotation from Douglass’s Fourth of July speech.
There is not a nation on the earth guilty of practices more shocking and bloody than are the people of these United States, at this very hour. …
[However,] I do not despair … “The arm of the Lord is not shortened,” and the doom of slavery is certain. I, therefore, leave off where I began, with hope. While drawing encouragement from “the Declaration of Independence,” the great principles it contains, and the genius of American Institutions, my spirit is also cheered by the obvious tendencies of the age.
Which answer choice best summarizes the view of the future expressed in the quotation?
Slavery will end because slaveholders cannot afford to fight their opponents.
Slavery will end because slaveholders will be punished due to their violations of religious principles.
Slavery will eventually come to an end due to public awareness of its gruesome practices.
Slavery will eventually come to an end due to the nation’s principles and the antislavery movement.
Which of the following is a main or central claim that Douglass argues in his Fourth of July speech?
Slavery is an evil that causes great suffering.
Slavery is an evil that causes him to become outraged.
Slavery is an evil that goes against American values.
Slavery is an evil that is doomed to end in the near future.
What is the main way in which Douglass supports his argument in his Fourth of July speech?
He lists various arguments made in defense of slavery, showing each to be without merit, even ridiculous.
He offers conclusive proof that enslaved persons are legally entitled to equal rights, based on the Declaration of Independence.
He shows that enslaved persons feel excluded on the Fourth of July, despite a natural desire to belong.
He provides detailed evidence of the suffering that enslaved persons endure under slavery, despite their rights.
In which of the following quotations from Douglass’s Fourth of July speech does Douglass offer evidence to support his claim that enslaved persons are human beings, not brutes?
To drag a man in fetters into the grand illuminated temple of liberty, and call upon him to join you in joyous anthems, were inhuman mockery and sacrilegious irony.
Is it not astonishing that, while we are ploughing, planting, and reaping, using all kinds of mechanical tools, erecting houses, constructing bridges … and looking hopefully for life and immortality beyond the grave, we are called upon to prove that we are men!
What, am I to argue that it is wrong to make men brutes, to rob them of their liberty, to work them without wages, to keep them ignorant of their relations to their fellow men, … to starve them into obedience and submission to their masters?
To [the slave], your celebration [of the Fourth of July] is a sham; your boasted liberty, an unholy license; your national greatness, swelling vanity; your sounds of rejoicing are empty and heartless; … your shouts of liberty and equality, hollow mockery.…
Which of the following is a counterclaim addressed by Douglass in his Fourth of July speech?
The Fourth of July “belongs to” the free.
Slavery is clearly an inexcusable practice.
Slavery was established by religious law.
The Fourth of July is a holiday doomed to end.
The word obstinate is derived from the Latin prefix ob- and a word root meaning “stand.” Based on this information and your knowledge of the prefix ob-, choose the most likely meaning of the word obstinate in the following sentence.
Becky was obstinate and refused to help her brother take out the trash.
stubborn; in a way that “stands against”
willing; in a way that “stands with”
rude; in a way that “stands inside”
independent; in a way that “stands apart”
The word obstructions is derived from the Latin prefix ob- and a word root meaning “pile up.” Based on this information and your knowledge of the prefix ob-, choose the most likely meaning of the word obstructions in the following sentence.
Ryan explained to his boss that he was late to work because he had encountered several obstructions while driving on the highway.
things that move quickly and are “piled up behind”
things that aid and are “piled up toward”
things that encourage and are “piled up higher”
things that block and are “piled up against”
Study the picture of an early celebration of Juneteenth (Emancipation Day) from 1900.
Which of the following would be the best caption to connect the image to the ideas in the text?
“Formerly enslaved people began celebrating immediately after hearing about their liberation in 1865.”
“In the early 1900s, some Black Americans celebrated Juneteenth with summer foods and fine dress.”
“Union General Gordon Granger delivered the message of emancipation in Galveston, Texas, in 1865.”
“Some Juneteenth celebrations included rodeos and historical reenactments.”
Read the sentence from paragraph 19 from the Juneteenth article.
When asked about the Civil War, she says she remembers her enslaver went off to war and when he returned, he did not tell his enslaved people they were free.
What inference can you make about what happened?
He died in the war and never came home, so the enslaved workers continued working until they learned about emancipation.
He did not realize that slavery was outlawed after the Civil War, but was happy to liberate his enslaved workers when he learned the news.
He held people in slavery until June 19 so it would be a fun surprise, so enslaved people held parties to celebrate.
He held people in slavery even though it was illegal, and enslaved people had no way to know they were emancipated.
Read the excerpt from paragraph 24 of the Juneteenth article.
Each state came up with its own method of doing so in its own time. Vermont prohibited slavery in 1777. The passage of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified on December 6, 1865, and adopted on December 18, 1865, which finally ended legal slavery in the United States. Yet in the northeast and mid-Atlantic states, it was common to have laws that freed the last children born into slavery gradually, with a plan to release them as adults.
Why does the author include this information in paragraph 24?
to support the idea that not every state in America went about ending slavery the same way
to show how quickly slavery ended
to prove how confusing the Emancipation Proclamation was for people to uphold.
to make it obvious that not everyone liked holding slaves
