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"Learning to Read" Review

Total questions: 14

Worksheet time: 10mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

What is the main topic of "Learning to Read" by Francis Ellen Watkins Harper?

a)

The importance of education

b)

The struggle for freedom

c)

The beauty of nature

d)

The power of friendship

2.

Who is the author of "Learning to Read"?

a)

Maya Angelou

b)

Langston Hughes

c)

Francis Ellen Watkins Harper

d)

Zora Neale Hurston

3.

What was a significant barrier to learning to read for the characters in the poem?

a)

Lack of interest

b)

Financial problems

c)

Rules and the law

d)

Language differences

4.

What does the act of learning to read symbolize in the poem?

a)

Personal growth

b)

Social status

c)

Freedom and empowerment

d)

Economic success

5.

Which group of people is primarily depicted in the poem "Learning to Read"?

a)

Immigrants

b)

Enslaved African Americans

c)

Native Americans

d)

European settlers

6.

What is the MAIN emotion expressed in "Learning to Read"?

a)

Joy

b)

Anger

c)

Determination

d)

Fear

7.

How does the poem "Learning to Read" reflect the history of its time?

a)

By highlighting technological advancements

b)

By showcasing the struggle for literacy among African Americans

c)

By describing the industrial revolution

d)

By focusing on the exploration of new lands

8.

What is the tone of the poem "Learning to Read"?

a)

Humorous

b)

Sarcastic

c)

Inspirational

d)

Sad

9.

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

a)

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.

b)

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

c)

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

d)

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

10.

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

a)

To warn other slaves about certain dangerous escape routes.

b)

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

c)

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

d)

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

11.

Which of the following supports the idea that the purpose of the poem was to discuss the injustices of slavery and how education would benefit slaves?

a)

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

b)

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

c)

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

d)

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

12.

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

a)

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

b)

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

c)

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

d)

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

13.

Which of the following quotes from the poem best supports the idea that the speaker feels more powerful after learning how to read?

a)

“Our masters always tried to hide / Book learning from our eyes” (line 5-6)

b)

“They stood right up and helped us / Though the Rebs did sneer and frown.” (line 26-27)

c)

“But when I began to learn it/ Folks just shook their head.” (line 31-32)

d)

“The queen upon her throne.” (line 44)

14.

Who is Mr. Turner's Ben and how did he learn to read?

a)

He is a slave owner who worked as a teacher and taught his slaves to read.

b)

He is a slave who learned to read by eavesdropping on the reading lessons of white children.

c)

He is a slave who his magazine pages in his coat and had the white children teach him how to read them.

d)

He is a slave who learned his alphabet from his white friends then taught himself words until he could read.