Uncle Tom's Cabin Trivia Quiz

Answer: Mr Shelby & Mr Haley talking

Mr Shelby was in debt to Mr Haley, and they were discussing paying off the debts. Haley wanted Uncle Tom, Eliza, and her son Harry to pay it off. Shelby was hesitant to sell all three, but gave in and sold Tom and Harry because he faced losing his property. For his wife's sake, Shelby would not sell Eliza, her maid.

Answer: Her son was sold

Their master, Arthur Shelby, sold Uncle Tom and Eliza's son Harry to pay off his debts. Shelby's wife Emily was against it, but there was nothing to be done. Eliza heard them settle the deal, so she escaped that night with Harry, leaving an apology and thank-you note for her kind mistress.

Answer: Transcendentalism

Transcendentalism is the belief that man is inherently good and is not capable of evil. Little Eva befriended and was kind to Uncle Tom. In turn, Tom rescued Eva from drowning. Eva convinced her father to buy Tom for her since he saved her life and she felt so kindly towards him. Eva even convinced Topsy, a desolate slave girl belonging to her aunt, that she was deserving of affection and gifted her a bible. After Eva's death, Topsy resolved to be a better person.

Absurdism is the belief that there is no meaning to anything in the world and there's no point in looking for meaning. Doesn't sound like a philosophy Eva would agree with.

Nihilism is the philosophy of the rejection of religious and moral values. This sounds more like Simon Legree than Eva.

Empiricism is the belief that all one's knowledge comes from direct experience. It didn't seem like Eva thought in those terms.

Answer: Tom's last owner

Simon Legree was extremely cruel, to the point of his name being synonymous with evil. Legree bought Tom and other slaves at an auction. His hatred of Tom started when Tom refused to whip another slave. Legree beat Tom violently and made a resolution to dissolve the slave's faith in God.

After both a former and a current sex slave escaped and Tom refused to tell Legree where they went, Legree beat Tom to death.

Answer: Chloe

Known as Aunt Chloe, she was an amazing cook and good woman. Young "mas'r" George Shelby loved to spend time at her and Uncle Tom's cabin because they felt so kindly towards him and he them. Aunt Chloe had something of a rivalry between the cook of a different family, Jinny, in culinary regard.

After Tom was sold, Chloe worked for a bakery to earn money to buy her husband's freedom. Unfortunately, Tom was killed on the day she saved up enough.

Answer: Topsy

Augustine St Clare, in an attempt to change his cousin's negative views on black people, purchased for her a little black girl named Topsy. He wanted Ophelia to educate her and treat her nicely, hoping such a cute child would transform her. Topsy was far from well-behaved, I'm sorry to say, but she acknowledged when she did something wrong and said punishment (whipping) was beneficial for her. Perhaps not that bad-behaved after all. Anyway, Eva St. Clare had a profound effect on Topsy, and convinced the poor girl that even she was deserving of love and forgiveness.

Answer: Knifed in the street

Before he died, Augustine St. Clare promised his dying daughter Eva that he would free Uncle Tom. Unfortunately, when St. Clare was knifed in the street, he died and his promise to free Tom was never carried out. The only one who had power to do so was his widow Marie, and she refused to free Tom.

When Miss Ophelia said that Eva wished it before she died, Marie accused everyone of being against her. Nope, Tom was never freed.

Answer: Christianity

Uncle Tom cherished his bible and believed in God and Jesus up until his death. He often taught the faithless slaves and even his master Augustine St. Clare about the message of the bible. In fact, he was such a forgiving, good, and believing man that Uncle Tom forgave the two overseers who beat him to death and convinced them to become Christians. Tom even prayed that his cruel and last master, Simon Legree, would repent and be forgiven. We never find out whether that happens or not.

Answer: Mother and daughter

Cassy was a former sex slave at Simon Legree's place. Her son and her daughter were separated from her in childhood, and when she found out she was pregnant, killed the baby so that it wouldn't be separated from her cruelly. Tom encouraged Cassy to escape with another slave, Emmeline, and wouldn't tattle. When Cassy came across Eliza, she recognized her as her long-lost daughter.

Answer: As propaganda against slavery

Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote the book to show how slavery truly was. Mrs Stowe penned the book after her 18 month old son died, saying that she now knew how it felt to lose something/someone close to you. "Uncle Tom's Cabin" was first published as two volumes in 1852. President Abraham Lincoln was reported to have said to Mrs Stowe, "This is the little lady who started this great war", referring to the Civil War because of the impact her book had at this time.