12 Years a Slave Trivia Quiz

Answer: playing the violin

Northup is an excellent violinist. We hear him play several times in the movie, but it is his violin-playing that gets him in trouble and begins his whole time as a slave.

New York had been a free state since 1827, but Norris says in the book that masters from the south often brought their slaves up north, and that may be what's shown when Northup is shopping with his family, and a white man orders a black man to come with him out of the store, as if the white man has complete control over the black man. It would be the only taste of slavery that Northup has seen in the last 14 years.

Answer: He can play the violin for their theatrical company in Washington.

Two strangers put poison in Northup's drink and entice him away to a two-week job with their theatrical company in Washington. When the poison wears off, Northup discovers he has been transported to a slave jail in Richmond, Virginia and will be taken to be sold in New Orleans.

Answer: Platt

The name of Platt is written on the shipping manifest, but no man named Platt steps off the boat. The name Northup is omitted, though. To make the list come out even, Northup is told to answer to Platt, and that's the name he answers to the whole time that he's enslaved. I don't think that historians have ever figured out what happened to the real Plat Hamilton on the shipping manifest (with one "t").

It would be quite a puzzle.

Answer: a violin

Platt loves having a violin again. It allows him to earn extra money, if his masters let him play for others, and just to earn general favors. Unfortunately, it also makes John Tibeats, a local carpenter, jealous.

Answer: Chapin, the overseer of his previous master, William Ford

Anderson Chapin (Chafin in real life) and his employer William Ford have both seemed kindly to Platt. But Chapin only partially releases the rope, letting Platt know that he will be punished for beating up white men and it's not safe to do so.

Answer: Edwin Epps

Epps is the stereotype of every bad slaveowner. He rapes his female slave, whips his slaves for not doing enough work, and treats them like objects rather than people. Theophilus Freeman was the man who sold Northup originally, Robert Lumpkin owned the Richmond jail where he was kept, and Simon Legree is the fictional slave owner from the book "Uncle Tom's Cabin."

Answer: throws a decanter, injuring Patsey, the slave her husband has raped

Poor Patsey is the target of Mrs. Epps jealousy, and the unwanted target of Epps' love. She is shown in one quietly emotional scene playing with homemade dolls, apparently trying to forget her troubles.

Answer: write a letter north for him

Platt is hoping desperately that he can communicate with someone in the north and tell where he is being held enslaved, but he is so isolated and so carefully watched that it's almost impossible. In fact this attempt fails too, among several attempts, but Platt passes the blame onto Armsby and avoids punishment.

Answer: kill her

At one point, Patsey leaves the farm to get some soap, and Epps orders Platt to whip her for leaving without permission. Platt tries to get out of it, or only to pretend he's whipping her, but he can't escape actually hurting her, and then Epps steps in, whipping her worse. Platt apparently has taken over as a driver on Epps farm, as in the book, whipping slaves, because he's so poor at picking cotton.

When there's carpentry work to do, he does that, which is how he has a stroke of luck that seems too good to be true, but actually happened.

Answer: Yes

Bass, a Canadian, is antislavery, although as an itinerant carpenter he somehow winds up in Louisiana. He feels sorry for Platt/Northup's situation and offers to help write and mail a letter, which eventually brings a sheriff, who makes sure "Platt" can answer all the questions that "Northup" should know.

When the sheriff is satisfied, he starts Northup on his way north, back to freedom and his family.