Kindred by Octavia Butler Reading Comprehension Test Directions: Number your loose leaf 1-36. Answer each question by writing only the letter of your choice next to the number. 1. When the story begins in the present, why didn’t the police trust Kevin with Dana? a. he had killed Rufus b. he had whipped her in the past c. she had lost her arm from the elbow down d. she told them he wanted to sell her 2. How is it ironic that Kevin is being questioned about the above? a. Kevin deserves to be questioned because he is black b. Kevin is white, and Dana is black c. Kevin dreamed of harming her d. Kevin isn’t able to free her 3. The relationship between Kevin and Dana in the present is a. illegal because it is interracial b. complex because he owns her c. intense because she cheated on him d. wonderful because they love each other 4. Which of these events did not pull Dana to Rufus? a. alcohol poisoning b. setting a fire c. drowning d. Alice’s suicide 5. What year was the present for Kevin and Dana? a. 1810 b. 1957 c. 2001 d. 1976 6. When Rufus sees Alice and Dana together he says a. “You both belong only to me.” b. “A stupid slave and a smart slave.” c. “Behold the woman.” d. “Bring me a corncake.” 7. What is Dana’s occupation that her aunt and uncle don’t approve of? a. writer b. actor c. artist d. abolitionist 8. Though Kevin is a progressive and loving husband, he is also a. an adulterer b. an alcoholic c. broke and burnt out d. jealous of Rufus 9. What word best describes Rufus? a. murderous b. generous c. conflicted d. intellectual 10. Alice is a foil to which character? a. Dana b. Sarah c. Tess d. Kevin 11. To ensure she is born one day, Dana must save Rufus until who is born? a. Alice b. Tess c. Jude d. Hagar 12. What is special about Carrie? a. she is the only slave who can read b. she gives birth to triplets who become free c. she speaks through sign language d. she safely runs away with her children 13. Which character betrays Dana to Weylin and is beaten by the other slaves for it? a. Liza b. Tess c. Carrie d. Nigel 14. Which character embodies the corrupting influence of power? a. Rufus b. Alice c. Nigel d. Kevin 15. Which of the following best illustrates the theme of love as bondage? a. Rufus’s feelings for Alice b. Dana’s feelings for Rufus c. Tom’s feelings for Margaret d. Kevin’s feelings for Sarah 16. What object in Kindred symbolize white men’s power? a. a book b. a whip c. a gun d. a rope 17. What do maps symbolize? a. identity b. heritage c. expansion d. freedom 18. What does Dana learn from her first experience time travelling? a. to protect her face upon falling b. to wear thicker clothing to protect her from whippings c. to tie a bag of essentials to her waist d. to hold on to Kevin and bring him with her 19. Where did Kevin and Dana meet? a. a bar b. school c. auto parts warehouse d. hospital 20. Alice was a freeborn woman but was enslaved when a. she tried to help a slave escape b. she wouldn’t sleep with Rufus c. she taught her children to read d. she slapped Tom Weylin 21. What is Kevin expected to do at the Weylin house? a. care for Rufus’s broken leg b. oversee the field hands c. feed and wash the horses d. tutor Rufus 22. What do Kevin and Dana show to Rufus to prove they are from the future? a. a wedding photo b. car keys c. a history book d. coins 23. When Weylin sees Dana leaving Kevin’s room and winks at her, how does she feel? a. ashamed b. proud c. understood d. angry 24. How long is Kevin left in the past without Dana? a. two weeks b. ten months c. three days d. five years 25. Who does Dana stop from killing Rufus? a. Tom Weylin b. Isaac Jackson c. Kevin Franklin d. Jake Edmonds 26. What does Rufus force Dana to burn, so she does not get caught with it? a. wedding photos b. Martin Luther King, Jr. speeches c. postcards from Montana and California d. a book and map 27. What is the one redeeming quality about Tom Weylin? a. He beats all slaves the same after Alice dies. b. He adopts Rufus’s children and gives them their freedom. c. He keeps promises faithfully to both blacks and whites. d. He allows women who are bearing children to have two weeks off. 28. How does Rufus punish Dana for letting his father die? a. He whips her on the chest and back. b. He sends her to the fields. c. He puts a gun to her head. d. He sells her to another owner. 29. After returning to the present, both Dana and Kevin realize that the Weylin plantation began to feel like a. hell b. heaven c. home d. prison 30. How does Margaret change throughout the course of the novel? a. She is first understanding and then becomes impatient with Dana. b. She is first worried about her son and then becomes hateful towards him. c. She is at first merciless and cruel and then becomes accepting and dull. d. She is at first dutiful and obedient and then becomes argumentative. 31. How does Rufus reward Dana? a. by giving her paper to write on b. by giving her a soft bed to sleep on c. by giving her dresses d. by keeping her alive 32. Why is Sam sold? a. because he talked back to Tom Weylin b. because he tried to run away c. because he tried to marry Alice d. because he talked to Dana 33. What kills Alice? a. her inability to cope with the death of her children b. her inability to cope with her husband being sold c. her inability to cope with Rufus’s cruelty d. her inability to cope with her children being sold 34. What kills Rufus? a. Nigel’s need to be free b. Dana’s need to avoid rape c. Jake’s desire to run the plantation d. Rufus’ inability to live without Alice 35. When Dana and Kevin visit Maryland in the present day, they find a newspaper account that Rufus died a. of old age b. by suicide c. in a fire d. under mysterious circumstances 36. Short Answer: In a brief 5-6 sentence response, explain why this quote is true for both Kevin and Dana. Talk about each of them separately. “I never realized how easily people could be trained to accept slavery.”
