Assessment
March/April 2017
LL
Name:
Date:
“Freedom or Death” Quiz
Directions: Read the article “Freedom or Death” in the March/April 2017 issue of Storyworks.
Then fill in the bubble next to the best answer for each question below.
1. Which sentence below expresses a main
idea of the story “Freedom or Death”?
A Robert Smalls met Abraham Lincoln.
B Piloting a ship is hard work.
C Robert Smalls freed himself and other slaves.
D It’s important to keep your promises.
2.The story says that when Robert was
younger, his mother took him to see
______.
A slave auctions B the circus
C baseball games
D slaves working in cotton fields
3. Why did Robert’s mother disagree with
him about escaping?
A No slave had ever managed to escape
before. B She knew that trying to escape could be
dangerous. C She never liked any of Robert’s ideas.
D She thought the cold weather in the North
would make them both sick.
4.Which sentence from the story supports the
answer to question 3?
A “ ‘Thank goodness that’s not you,’ Robert’s
mother said.”
B “Robert knew that Mr. McKee would never
separate him from his mother.”
C “He told his mother that they should run
away to the Northern states, where slavery
was banned.”
D “His mother explained that for every slave
that managed to escape, hundreds more died
or were captured and brutally punished.”
5.Why did Robert decide to break the
promise he had made to his mother?
A Robert was very angry with his mother. B Robert heard that Mr. McKee was thinking of
selling him.
C Mr. McKee wouldn’t let Robert fight in the
Civil War.
D As a slave, Robert could be separated from
his children at any time.
6. What does stealthily mean in the sentence
“They moved stealthily through the
harbor . . .”?
A slowly Cproudly B sneakily D angrily
Constructed Response
Directions: On a separate piece of paper, write your answer to each question in a well-organized response.
Make sure you support your answers with information and details from the article.
7. How was life different for Robert after
1865?
8. How do you think Robert felt about
Mr. and Mrs. McKee? Explain your answer.
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