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narrative of the life of frederick douglass, an american slave #2
frederick douglass

i was born in tuckahoe, near hillsborough, and about twelve miles from easton, in talbot county, maryland. i have no accurate knowledge of my age, never having seen any authentic record containing it. by far the larger part of the slaves know as little of their ages as horses know of theirs, and it is the wish of most masters within my knowledge to keep their slaves thus ignorant. i do not remember to have ever met a slave who could tell of his birthday. they seldom come nearer to it than planting-time, harvest-time, cherry-time, spring-time, or fall-time. a want of information concerning my own was a source of unhappiness to me even during childhood. the white children could tell their ages. i could not tell why i ought to be deprived of the same privilege. i was not allowed to make any inquiries of my master concerning it. he deemed all such inquiries on the part of a slave improper and impertinent, and evidence of a restless spirit. the nearest estimate i can give makes me now between twenty-seven and twenty-eight years of age. i come to this, from hearing my master say, some time during 1835, i was about seventeen years old.

i have no accurate knowledge of my age, never having seen any authentic record containing it.
from the context of the sentence, what can the reader conclude about the relationship of the words accurate and authentic?
a) both emphasize douglass's desire for freedom.
b) both describe information that can be proved.
c) both are consistent with a ficticious narrative.
d) both are associated with birth records of slaves.
2)
how does the author's conversational yet somewhat formal tone affect the reader's view of the information he presents?
a) the reader understands the information while respecting the author's views.
b) the reader does not understand the information but respects the author's views.
c) the reader understands the information but lacks respect for the author's views.
d) the narrator's conversational tone frustrates the reader with its lack of seriousness.
3)
what does the lack of dialect in the passage convey to the reader?
a) the author is serious and intends to convey authority about the subject.
b) the author is not serious but intends to convey authority about the subject.
c) the author is serious but does not intend to convey authority about the subject.
d) the author is not serious and does not intend to convey authority about the subject.
4)
what is the meaning of the word impertinent as it is used in the passage?
a) unflappable during times of stress
b) deflated from being denied information that is wanted
c) deceptive acceptance of someone who has more authority
d) unrestrained beyond the bounds of good taste or propriety
5)
despite his having had no early education douglass writes in an elegant, measured prose that conveys the emotional anguish caused by being owned by another human. however, there are stylistic elements that illustrate his slave past. an example of word-choice that is a contrast to his simple but educated prose is the word
a) cherry-time.
b) deprived.
c) ignorant.
d) twenty-seven.
6)
if this passage were changed to a third person point of view, how would this change effect a reader's experience of the text?
a) the passage would lose its emotional impact and power.
b) the passage would immediately become more comical.
c) the passage would contain less factual information.
d) the passage would involve a lot more dialogue.
7)
which best describes how douglass's life affects a message in this text?
a) his story depicts the dehumanization of slaves.
b) his story reflects common childhood struggles.
c) his story stresses the need for authentic records.
d) his story describes daily life in 19th century maryland.
8)
what is the main idea of this selection?
a) during slavery, white children knew their birthdays.
b) the injustices and ignorance forced upon slaves began early in a slave's life.
c) douglass' master accidentally douglass reasonably estimate his own age.
d) frederick douglass believes himself to be twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old.
9)

what does the red proofreading symbol mean?
a) transpose elements
b) delete this sentence
c) problem with verb agreement
d) problem with parallel structure