Twelve Years a Slave

Reading Check and Short Answer questions on key points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

Introduction-Chapter 5

Reading Check

1. How did Northup’s father, Mintus, gain his freedom?

2. What does Anne Hampton, Northup’s wife, do professionally?

3. Why do Anne and the children leave from Saratoga Springs in March of 1841 to a destination 20 miles distant?

4. What city do Northup’s captors take him to after they leave Washington, DC, by steamboat?

5. When Northup is taken to New Orleans on a brig, how many other captives are aboard with him?

6. Who plots with Northup to overthrow the brig to New Orleans? 

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. According to Ira Berlin’s Introduction, what is one way that Twelve Years a Slave is different from other narratives about enslaved individuals?

2. Who was David Wilson, the writer of the original 1853 preface? What was his role in the composition of the book? Describe the general message of his preface and why it’s important to the text.

3. In Chapter 3, after Northup has been captured by James H. Burch, he bitterly reflects upon the fact that his slave pen is within sight of the Capitol building.