View a FREE sample

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

Short Answer Questions

1. In "God and the underdog," what do the Ku Klux Klan members discover when they get to heaven?

2. In "Despite broken bondage . . .," what does Bessie say the emancipation of women in Botswana was rooted in?

3. Why did Bessie say the South African experience so difficult for her to deal with in a creative sense?

4. What makes people suffer according to Bessie?

5. What does Bessie state was totally absent in her?

Short Essay Questions

1. In "Notes on Novels," why is Bessie having difficulty writing about her years in South Africa?

2. When Bessie arrived in Botswana in 1964, what were the major differences that she noticed between that country and South Africa?

3. What was Bessie's life like during the two years that she lived in the refugee community in northern Botswana?

4. In "God and The Underdog," what does Bessie feel fuels revolutions?

5. Why does Bessie consider Botswana the "most unique and distinguished country in Africa"?

6. How does Bessie describe the world that a black South African is born into?

7. How are Bessie and the American woman different?

8. How is Bessie's hatred of the white man lessened in Chapter 2?

9. In "Makeba Music," how does Bessie describe the musician, Makeba?

10. Why was Bessie able to write in Botswana rather than South Africa?

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

Bessie developed an early love for Capetown and returned there frequently. What did her friends tell her about Capetown in 1958? Why does she love it so much? What sense does she get there? Why do the whites of the Cape describe it as having a liberal tradition? What does Bessie think of their assessment? Why does she say they pride themselves on this? What kind of personality do the Cape Coloureds have that she admires? What compromise have they made with the ruling group? What impressions do you get from Bessie regarding this compromise?

Essay Topic 3

The American woman filled Bessie's world when she arrived in Serowe. Describe her physical characteristics. What made her stand out in the village? What did Bessie come to see her as? If Bessie would have been a more religious person, do you think she would have attributed the "Nigra Goddess" characteristics to the American woman? Was this filling a void for her where religion might have been? Or, do you think that she truly saw God in this woman? The American woman could at times be harsh with Bessie. Was this fair to Bessie? Was there any way that the she could relate to the horrors that Bessie had experienced in her life? Do you think that she was harsh because she thought that Bessie was self-absorbed? Or, do you think that she was harsh because she was trying to encourage Bessie to close the door on the past and move forward by thinking of and helping others?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,035 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample