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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. Who says at the dinner party in Chapter 29 that in America blacks and whites work together, but don’t play together and that in England it is just the opposite?

2. Who is the security guard at a library that is falsely arrested for dealing drugs in Chapter 38?

3. Who among Ifemelu's old friends is described in Chapter 46 as "unrecognizable now, so fat that even her nose had changed shape"?

4. Who among Dike's friends bursts out sobbing and says to Ifemelu in Chapter 43, “I just can’t believe he didn’t reach out to me"?

5. What reason does Ifemelu give Ginika for having broken up with Curt in Chapter 31?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does the bookstore symbolize in Chapter 27?

2. What aspects of Lagos surprise Ifemelu when she returns in Part 7?

3. How is the motif of accents addressed by Ranyinudo in Part 7?

4. What is the root of Ifemelu's discomfort around Paula in the narrative?

5. How has Aunty Uju's life changed in Chapter 32?

6. How are Obinze's emotions revealed through his actions in Chapter 42?

7. What foreshadowing can be seen in Ifemelu's relationship with Blaine in Chapter 36?

8. How does Emenike respond when Obinze requests to see him in London? Why?

9. What is foreshadowed through Obinze's and Ifemelu's correspondence in Chapter 42?

10. What is symbolized by Ifemely's invitation for Dike to visit her in Nigeria?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss gender roles and expectations in Nigeria and America. How do perceptions of women and men differ in America from in Nigeria? How are these perceptions illustrated through Ifemelu’s experiences in each country? Discuss examples of relationships between men and women in the novel and how these relationships are shaped by the culture and history where they develop.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the backdrop of the Obama Presidential campaign in the narrative. How does the campaign influence Ifemelu’s thoughts on race in America? How does the campaign affect Ifemelu’s relationship with Blaine? What does the Obama Presidency signify for the characters in the story?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the nonlinear nature of the narrative in Americanah. What storyline takes place in the present tense? How and why does the author employ flashbacks and flash-forwards in the telling of the story? How do you think the novel would differ if the events of the story were related in a linear timeline?

(see the answer keys)

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