Worksheetsfrom Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad
Total questions: 13
Worksheet time: 10mins
What does Moses symbolize in paragraphs 1-3?
contentmet
fantasy
freedom
religion
Read the sentence from paragraph 12.
If they were caught, the 11 runaways would be whipped and sold South, but she - she would probably be hanged."
Which idea does this detail convey?
Slavery was legal in the South but illegal in the North.
The runaways and Harriet Tubman were taking a big risk.
Slavery was evil and caused massive amounts of suffering.
The runaways and Harriet Tubman were likely to be caught.
Which idea does the author's tone in paragraph 12 help convey about slave owners in the South?
They were not willing to negotiate with Tubman.
They did not manage their plantations effectively.
They knew slavery was wrong but were driven by greed.
They considered slaves valuable property that they wanted returned.
Read the sentence from paragraph 16.
The man who stood in the doorway looked at her coldly, looked with unconcealed astonishment and fear at the eleven disheveled runaways who were standing near her.
The word disheveled comes from Latin roots that mean “to disarrange the hair.” Which word would best replace disheveled in the sentence and convey a similar meaning?
disordered
disturbed
unhappy
unknown
Read the sentences from paragraph 21.
Once they reached his house in Wilmington, they would be safe. He would see to it that they were.
What is the best way to combine these two sentences without changing the original meaning?
Once they reached his house in Wilmington, they would be safe because he would see to it that they were.
They would be safe because he would see to it that they were once they reached his house in Wilmington.
He would see to it that they were once they reached his house in Wilmington because they would be safe.
Because they would be safe once they reached his house in Wilmington, he would see to it that they were.
In which two sentences does the author’s word choice create a hopeful mood?
For a while, as they walked, they seemed to carry in them a measure of contentment; some of the serenity and the cleanliness of that big warm kitchen lingered on inside them. (paragraph 32)
Ellen pretended to be very ill—her right arm was in a sling, and her right hand was bandaged, because she was supposed to have rheumatism. (paragraph 34)
She told them about Frederick Douglass, the most famous of the escaped slaves, of his eloquence, of his magnificent appearance. (paragraph 36)
These people who had risked their own security to help runaways would be ruined, fined, imprisoned. (paragraph 41)
This time she told them about the long agony of the Middle Passage on the old slave ships, about the black horror of the holds, about the chains and the whips. (paragraph 43)
Which sentence is written correctly?
Eleven people were in the group they were going all the way to Canada.
The group moved slowly it took them three nights to reach the first stop on their journey.
The man who opened the door wouldn’t let them in, so they had to keep traveling.
At the next stop they were more fortunate, they finally found a place to rest.
Read the sentence from paragraph 32 of the selection.
But as they walked farther and farther away from the warmth and the light, the cold and the darkness entered into them.
Which tone does the author’s word choice in this sentence suggest?
Bitter
Indifferent
Disappointed
Despairing
Read the sentence from paragraph 32.
They fell silent, sullen, suspicious.
The word sullen comes from a Latin root that means “by oneself.” Which word would best replace sullen in the sentence and convey a similar meaning?
confused
gloomy
hostile
worried
How is the escape of the eleven slaves in December 1851 different from the trips that
Tubman made before?
They travel to Canada.
They plan for many days.
They leave on a Saturday night.
They go through Maryland.
How are Harriet Tubman’s character and personality revealed in this selection? Cite evidence from the text to support your answer.
This question has two parts. First, answer Part A. Then, answer Part B.
Part A: How does Tubman’s attitude toward the state of Maryland change over the course of
the selection?
At first she thinks of Maryland as her home, but later she feels like a stranger there.
At first she is eager to get away from Maryland, but later she remembers it fondly.
At first she thinks of Maryland fondly, but later she realizes its disadvantages.
At first she thinks she will one day return to Maryland, but later she reconsiders.
Part B: Which two excerpts from the selection best support the answer to Part A?
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. (paragraph 1)
She knew moments of doubt when she was half-afraid, and kept looking back over her shoulder, imagining that she heard the sound of pursuit. They would certainly be pursued. . . . Eleven thousand dollars’ worth of flesh and bone and muscle that belongeShe knew moments of doubt when she was half-afraid, and kept looking back over her shoulder, imagining that she heard the sound of pursuit. They would certainly be pursued. . . . Eleven thousand dollars’ worth of flesh and bone and muscle that belonged to Maryland planters. (paragraph 12)d to Maryland planters. (paragraph 12)
Late in December, 1851, Harriet arrived in St. Catharines, Canada West (now Ontario), with the eleven fugitives. It had taken almost a month to complete this journey; most of the time had been spent getting out of Maryland. (paragraph 53)
Often she found herself thinking of the beauty of Maryland, the mellowness of the soil, the richness of the plant life there. (paragraph 55)
When spring came she decided that she would make this small Canadian city her home—as much as any place could be said to be home to a woman who traveled from Canada to the Eastern Shore of Maryland as often as she did. (paragraph 57)
