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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. Which best describes Chris's opinion of Okong?

2. Who is Lou Cranford?

3. What happens to Ikem on his way to the Palace in Chapter 3?

4. What is the meaning of the phrase uwa-t'uwa, which Beatrice used to repeat to herself as a child?

5. What is the meaning of the word nneka?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Compare Beatrice's religious attitudes with those of her maid, Agatha.

3. What does Ikem mean when he says it is a writer's job to give headaches and not prescriptions? Do you agree with this statement?

4. What does their stay at Braimoh's house teach Chris and Beatrice about the way the poor live?

5. To whom are storytellers a threat, according to Ikem?

6. What is happening outside the Presidential Palace in Chapter 1?

7. What is the subject of Ikem's editorial "Hymn to the Sun"? What point is he trying to make with it?

8. Explain the meaning of the poem "Africa" by David Diop, which appears at the beginning of Chapter 10.

9. Why does Ikem feel exhilarated after his meeting with the taxi drivers?

10. According to Chris, why does Ikem resent him so much?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the "Desdemona complex."

1) Who suffers from the Desdemona complex?

2) Is the complex just about sex, or is it about the allure of the "Other" in all of its aspects? Explain.

3) What does the Desdemona complex suggest about the state of African identity in post colonial times?

Essay Topic 2

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.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the theme of religion in Anthills of the Savannah.

1) Which religions are represented in the novel?

2) Compare and contrast the attitudes of Beatrice and Agatha toward their religions.

3) Nigeria is a country with three main religions: Christianity, Islam, and traditional animism. How is this religious diversity represented in the novel, particularly in the naming ceremony in Chapter 18?

(see the answer keys)

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