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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. Where will the dinner Beatrice attends in Chapter 6 be held?

2. What is a crime problem in the city now, much feared by Elewa?

3. How do the members of the Abazonian delegation receive Ikem?

4. Why is Beatrice angry with Chris in Chapter 8?

5. What is the main message of the hymn written by Ikem?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why, according to the Attorney-General, might Christopher Oriko pose a threat? Does the Attorney-General seem trustworthy?

2. Why does Agatha refuse to serve Elewa? What does the incident suggest about class differences in their society?

3. Describe the male chauvinism in Beatrice's childhood home.

4. Explain the story of the leopard and the tortoise. Why does the Abazon elder tell this story?

5. Explain how the President came to power and why he needed Christopher Oriko's help.

6. How has the President changed, according to Ikem, and why has he done so?

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

8. What message about women is portrayed in the African folk tale about why the sky is far away from the earth?

9. Why is Elewa angry with Ikem? Do you think she has a right to be angry?

10. Whom does Okong warn the President about?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

One theme in the novel is the need for unity between people of different classes and faiths in order to create a better future for the nation. Write an essay exploring this theme in the novel.

Essay Topic 2

A theme in the novel is the conflict between modern and traditional African cultures. Explore this conflict or dichotomy, considering the following questions:

1) How is modern culture contrasted with the traditional one in Chapter 3 as we go from a scene in traffic to a very mythical story of "Hymn to the Sun"?

2) Beatrice does not know much about traditional culture and is ignorant of myths such as the rather feminist story of Idemili. Why is this a bad thing?

3) What wisdom is possessed by the Abazon elders and how is this contrasted with the wisdom, or lack thereof, in the university group Ikem speaks to?

4) In what sense does Beatrice seem to have two people inside her--the prophetess and the modern, educated woman?

5) How do traditional and modern clash in the baby-naming ceremony in Chapter 18, and how is the conflict resolved?

Essay Topic 3

According to The New York Review of Books, the novel Anthills of the Savannah "has wonderful satiric moments and resounds with big African laughter." Write an essay discussing the humor in the novel.

(see the answer keys)

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