The following is an excerpt from The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass.

After
reading the passage, answer the questions that follow.

[1] Mr. Severe, the overseer, used to stand by the door of the quarter, armed with a large hickory
stick and heavy cow skin, ready to whip anyone who was so unfortunate as not to hear, or, from
any other cause, was prevented from being ready to start for the field at the sound of the horn.
Mr. Severe was rightly named: he was a cruel man. I have seen him whip a woman, causing the
blood to run half an hour at the time; and this, too, in the midst of her crying children, pleading
for their mothers release. He seemed to take pleasure in manifesting his fiendish barbarity.

[2] Added to his cruelty, he was a profane swearer. It was enough to chill the blood and stiffen
the hair of an ordinary man to hear him talk. Scarce a sentence escaped him but that was
commenced or concluded by some horrid oath. The field was the place to witness his cruelty and
profanity. His presence made it both the field of blood and of blasphemy.

[3] From the rising till the going down of the sun, he was cursing, raving, cutting, and slashing
among the slaves of the field, in the most frightful manner. His career was short. He died very
soon after I went to Colonel Lloyds; and he died as he lived, uttering, with his dying groans,
bitter curses and horrid oaths. His death was regarded by the slaves as the result of a merciful
providence.

[4] Mr. Severes place was filled by a Mr. Hopkins. He was a very different man. He was less
cruel, less profane, and made less noise, than Mr. Severe. His course was characterized by no
extraordinary demonstrations of cruelty. He whipped, but seemed to take no pleasure in it. He
was called by the slaves a good overseer.

Multiple Choice Sample Questions

1. Which statement does NOT describe Mr. Severe?
A.

A sadistic tyrant

B.

So brutal that the slaves viewed his death as a blessing

C.

A disgusting, cruel slave owner

D.

Somewhat inhuman

E.

An archetypical slave overseer

2. What is ironic about the last sentence of the passage?

A.

Mr. Hopkins took no pleasure in beating the slaves.

B.

Mr. Hopkins didn't curse like Mr. Severe did.

C.

The slaves thought he was not a good overseer.

D.

Mr. Severe was quieter than Mr. Hopkins.

E.

Mr. Hopkins seems almost kind in comparison to Mr. Severe.

3. Which of the following statements is NOT true about the passage?

A.

Douglass creates a horrifying picture of slavery by showing in graphic detail the

violence and cruelty of Mr. Severe.

B.

Douglass creates a feeling of pathos in the reader by using auditory imagery

(crying children, cursing, the sound of the horn).

C.

In spite of the violence, there is humor at the end of the passage when he
describes the kinder overseer, Mr. Hopkins.

D.

Douglass creates emotion in the reader by using blood as imagery to support Mr.
Severe's cruelty.

E.

Douglass works hard to portray Mr. Hopkins as much more likeable than Mr.
Severe.

4. Which answer best describes the authors tone or mood in this passage?
A. Outraged
B. Wry
C. Laconic
D. Melancholy
E. Demanding

5. What does the author mean by the phrase so unfortunate as not to hear?
A. Mr. Severe was hearing impaired.
B. The slaves with physical deformities were treated worse than the physically healthy
slaves.

C. The plantation was too large for everyone to be within shouting distance.
D. Mr. Severe would punish slaves who didnt move at the sound of the horn.
E. Many of the slaves were illiterate.

Multiple Choice Answers Plus Explanations

1. Which statement does NOT describe Mr. Severe?
C.

A disgusting, cruel slave owner

Explanation: Don't ignore the word "NOT" in the question. It means that 4/5 choices WILL
accurately describe Mr. Severe. Douglass gives many showing details in this passage to highlight
Mr. Severe's brutality: his beating of slaves, his foul language, his overall cruelty. Although he is
disgusting and cruel, Mr. Severe is the overseer, not the slave owner.

2. What is ironic about the last sentence of the passage?

E.

Mr. Hopkins seems almost kind in comparison to Mr. Severe.

Explanation: Situational irony, having something turn out differently than expected, is evident
in Mr. Hopkins' treatment of the slaves. Although he beat them "he seemed to take no pleasure in
it" and the slaves actually thought he was a good overseer, even though he still beat them.

3. Which of the following statements is NOT true about the passage?

C.

In spite of the violence, there is humor at the end of the passage when he
describes the kinder overseer, Mr. Hopkins.

Explanation: Look carefully at the question stem, and don't ignore the word "NOT". There's no
humor, just irony, in the last paragraph. Also, Mr. Hopkins is not very kind or likeable; he's just
less horrid than Mr. Severe.

4. Which answer best describes the authors tone or mood in this passage?
A. Outraged
Explanation: The authors tone can best be described as outraged because the author describes
Mr. Severe's "cruel" treatment of his slaves in vivid detail. Laconic means terse or using few
words. The author refers often to Mr. Severe's cruel words. Melancholy means sad or wistful.
Angry or outraged better describe the tone of this passage, which highlights the cruelty of Mr.
Severe. Wry means humorous the tone of this passage is serious, and the characters, not the
author, are demanding.

5. What does the author mean by the phrase so unfortunate as not to hear?
D. Mr. Severe would punish slaves who didnt move at the sound of the horn.
Explanation: By the phrase as not to hear, the author doesnt literally mean that Mr. Severe or
the slaves are actually deaf. He means that Mr. Severe would whip the slaves who did not hear or
acted as though they had not heard the horn for whatever reason. Presumably, he did this because
he was a cruel and unforgiving man towards the slaves.