61 pages 2 hours read

Frederick Douglass

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass

Nonfiction | Autobiography / Memoir | Adult | Published in 1845

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During Reading

Reading Questions & Paired Texts

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

PREFACE-INTRODUCTION 

Reading Check

1. Who authors the Preface to Douglass’s narrative, noting that “Frederick Douglass, as a slave, was not a peculiar one”?

2. Whom does the Introduction (an included letter from Wendell Phillips, Esq.) offer as an example of a “lion” writing history? 

Short Answer

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

1. On what conclusions about slavery does the author of the Preface end?

2. What does Wendell Phillips, Esq. note about the difference between racism in the North and the South?

CHAPTERS 1-3

Reading Check

1. In which state was Douglass born?

2. Which relative did Douglass witness being brutally beaten by Captain Anthony?

3. Which of his enslavers does Douglass refer to as “rightly named” due to his cruelty?

4. To which city did Captain Auld travel by river to sell his goods? 

5. What did Colonel Lloyd protect with a tar-slathered fence?

Short Answer

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

1. Under what circumstances would Douglass’s mother get to visit him?

2.