Question

read this excerpt from the narrative of the life of frederick douglass.

mrs. auld had bread for the hungry, clothes for the naked, and comfort for every mourner that came within her reach. slavery soon proved its ability to divest her of these heavenly qualities. under its influence, the tender heart became stone, and the lamblike disposition gave way to one of tiger-like fierceness. the first step in her downward course was in her ceasing to instruct me.

the reader can infer that being a slaveholder made mrs. auld

more fierce about protecting enslaved people.
less concerned about helping enslaved people.
more gentle when teaching enslaved people.
less religious than most enslaved people.

Explanation:

Analyze the character's initial state

The excerpt describes Mrs. Auld initially as a kind person who "had bread for the hungry, clothes for the naked, and comfort for every mourner." This shows her natural inclination to help those in need.

Examine the impact of slavery

The text states that "Slavery soon proved its ability to divest her of these heavenly qualities." Under its influence, her "tender heart became stone" and her "lamblike disposition gave way to one of tiger-like fierceness." This indicates a profound negative transformation.

Connect the transformation to her actions

The passage notes that "The first step in her downward course was in her ceasing to instruct me." This action directly relates to her stopping her efforts to help or teach the enslaved narrator, Frederick Douglass.

Evaluate the options based on textual evidence

Using Inference from Text, we can determine how this transformation affected her attitude toward enslaved people:

• "more fierce about protecting enslaved people": Incorrect, as her fierceness was "tiger-like" and part of a "downward course," not protective.
• "less concerned about helping enslaved people": Correct, as her "tender heart became stone" and she stopped instructing the narrator, showing a loss of her initial desire to comfort and help.
• "more gentle when teaching enslaved people": Incorrect, as she ceased instructing him entirely and became fierce.
• "less religious than most enslaved people": Incorrect, as the text does not compare her level of religion to that of enslaved people.

Formulate the final conclusion

Using Character Motivation Analysis, we see that the corrupting influence of being a slaveholder stripped Mrs. Auld of her charitable, helpful nature, making her less concerned with helping enslaved people.

Answer:

• more fierce about protecting enslaved people.
• less concerned about helping enslaved people. (Correct answer)
• more gentle when teaching enslaved people.
• less religious than most enslaved people.