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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. What had a girl named Hadiya told Selam at school one day?

2. Why does the village chief get so angry at Jubril?

3. Who says, "Best friends don't quarrel" when Selam begins to cry?

4. Who saves Jubril after he has passed out in a field?

5. What is the narrator looking for at Selam's apartment building?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Akpan choose second person narration for the story?

2. What does the Chief signify in the story?

3. Who is Hadiya and how does she impact the relationship between the narrator and Selam?

4. What does the narrator do during the days after being restricted from playing with Selam?

5. How had Jubril lost his right hand and why is it important for him to hide that fact while on the bus?

6. How do the narrator and Selam find a way to communicate with each other when they are not allowed to play together?

7. What is the core source of all the violence that takes place in the story?

8. What is notable about the story "What Language is That?"

9. What is the unifying thread of the conflicts in the story?

10. How do the policemen who take the sick man off the bus represent the corruption that exists in the country?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Create a character study of Fofo Kpee in "Fattening for Gabon (Benin)". What are his physical characteristics? What are his motivations? What are his fears? What are his dreams? What else can you say about Fofo Kpee?

Essay Topic 2

What is the overall setting for the stories in the book? Be sure to include geography, time period and any pertinent popular culture events. Why did Akpan choose to use these places in the stories?

Essay Topic 3

Loss seems to be almost an unnamed character in the book. How pervasive is the sense of loss? Why does it have such a prevalent place in the characters' lives? Explain how an inanimate object or characteristic can be a character.

(see the answer keys)

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