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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. Bessie described her friend, Snowball, as perfectly black except for his what?

2. What did the American woman send Bessie?

3. How do most black friends in South Africa meet?

4. In "The woman from America," what about this woman and her husband poses the biggest threat to the village people?

5. What reminds Bessie of the man, Snowball?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Bessie say about refugees and friendship in "Letter from South Africa"?

2. Why is Bessie so drawn to the American woman in "Woman from America"?

3. In "preface to Witchcraft," why is Bessie angry with South Africa?

4. How does Bessie describe the Botswana flag to students during the independence celebration?

5. What lasting effect did the treatment by the missionaries have on Bessie?

6. How does Bessie describe Botswana in 1964?

7. What more compassionate details concerning her mother did Bessie learn over time?

8. Why was Bessie given up for adoption?

9. What did Bessie think of the mission orphanage that she was sent to at age 13?

10. In "A Gentle People," what are Bessie's feelings regarding the black people of Cape Town?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The artist, Gladys Mgudlandlu, was extremely popular in South Africa because of her escapism theory. Why does Bessie refer to her as "the exuberant innocent"? Does she think of her and her escapism theory as naïve? Does she see it as not wanting to deal with real issues? Do you think Bessie thought it was wrong of her to encourage the black South Africans to just "sit back and let God deal with it"? Was this just offering them a good excuse to do nothing about their situation? If there was no oppression, do you think that this artist would have been as popular?

Essay Topic 2

After reading "A Woman Alone," what are your views on oppression? How does it begin? What is it based on? Does it spiral out of control or is it a deliberate action? How do events in South Africa since he 1990s seem compared to the hopes of the previously oppressed people?

Essay Topic 3

Bessie's views of the white man were formed at an early age. List two experiences in Bessie's early life that you think had a profound effect on her opinion of the white man? List the experiences and Bessie's response to them. Later in life, Bessie was able to see some good in the white man and her hatred lessened. Explain the person and the circumstances surrounding this.

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