Anthills of the Savannah Test | Mid-Book Test - Hard

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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Which of the following is NOT true about the Director of the SRC, Johnson Ossai?

2. How does the Attorney-General describe himself to the President?

3. What do the people of Abazon do to anger the President?

4. In the hymn composed by Ikem, who is found dead in the marketplace?

5. What have the Abazonians heard about Ikem?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is happening outside the Presidential Palace in Chapter 1?

2. How, according to Ikem, do working-class people expect their leaders to live?

3. Describe the confrontation between Ikem and the taxi driver in Chapter 3. What does it reveal about Ikem's character?

4. Who are the cab drivers who come to see Ikem, and why have they come?

5. Why, according to Chris, does the President begin to distance himself from Ikem and Chris?

6. Explain how Chris is able to fool the police at a security checkpoint.

7. What does Ikem mean when he says it is a writer's job to give headaches and not prescriptions? Do you agree with this statement?

8. What does Beatrice help Ikem to realize about women?

9. To whom are storytellers a threat, according to Ikem?

10. What does Ikem urge the students to do?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the theme of religion in Anthills of the Savannah.

1) Which religions are represented in the novel?

2) Compare and contrast the attitudes of Beatrice and Agatha toward their religions.

3) Nigeria is a country with three main religions: Christianity, Islam, and traditional animism. How is this religious diversity represented in the novel, particularly in the naming ceremony in Chapter 18?

Essay Topic 2

Ikem says at one point that the President is well meaning and will do the right thing if he is told what the right thing is. To what extent is this true?

1) The people around the President fear him and tell him what they think he wants to hear. Does this make them equally guilty for making him into a tyrant? Would he be less of a tyrant if people would stand up to him?

2) Chris says that Ikem's editorials accomplish nothing but aggravating people. Is he right? When, if ever, has the President taken action based on Ikem's urgings?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the "Desdemona complex."

1) Who suffers from the Desdemona complex?

2) Is the complex just about sex, or is it about the allure of the "Other" in all of its aspects? Explain.

3) What does the Desdemona complex suggest about the state of African identity in post colonial times?

(see the answer keys)

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