Equiano Questions

  1. Which statement summarizes the central idea of the selection?
  2. White men are all devils who deserve the worst punishment
  3. England is the best place for an ex-slave to find his voice
  4. Being torn away from family is the worst part of slavery
  5. Slave ships were an evil necessity during the slave trade
  1. Which quote best summarizes the purpose of the Equiano selection?
  2. “I did not know what this could mean, and indeed I thought these people were full of nothing but magical arts.”
  3. “The stench of the hold while we were on the coast was so intolerably loathsome that is was dangerous to remain there for any time.”
  4. “From the time I left my own nation I always found somebody who understood me until I came to the seacoast.”
  5. “Are the dearest friends and relations, nor rendered more dear by their separation from their kindred, still to be parted from each other and this prevented from cheering the gloom of slavery with the small comfort of being together and mingling their sufferings and sorrows?”
  1. How does Equiano develop his ideas in his narrative?
  2. By giving a comparison to slavery in African and slavery in America
  3. By vividly describing the suffering and turmoil that slavery creates
  4. By giving an historical overview of slavery in Africa
  5. By presenting both perspectives, African and American, of the slavery issue
  1. How does the description in the sentence below connect with the ideas throughout the slave ship section?

a. By introducing the extreme suffering of the slaves, the author links the suffering of the sailors, justifying their captivity.

b. By introducing the extreme suffering of the slaves, the author creates a contrast between their lives and the rewarding lives of the sailors.

c. By vividly describing the suffering of the slaves, the author reinforces the inhumanity of slavery

d. By vividly describing the suffering of the slaves, the author creates a sense of anticipation of arrival in Barbados

5. How does Equiano’s series of questions in the last paragraph contribute to the central idea?

  1. The rhetorical questions point out the hypocrisy of slavery in Africa
  2. The rhetorical questions illustrate the basic inhumanity of slavery
  3. The rhetorical questions prove that Africans can be educated
  4. The rhetorical questions prove that is a Christian

Using textual evidence from the selection, how does the author use language to enhance and support the central idea of the text.