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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. How does Okenwa imagine his father would have reacted to outlandish stories 15 years earlier?

2. What do the narrator's parents often watch on television at the start of the story?

3. Why was the houseboy just before Raphael fired?

4. What did Raphael and Okenwa first bond over when he worked for them?

5. Why does Okenwa's mother assume he would not remember Raphael?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Okenwa imagine would be different if he did have a family, as his parents hoped? Why?

2. What is the narrator doing at the start of "Apollo"?

3. How did Okenwa's mother treat the houseboys?

4. What does Okenwa's mother say had happened during a visit in Okenwa? Who did they know who was involved?

5. What were Okenwa's parent's evenings at home like when Okenwa was young?

6. How did Okenwa feel about going to the staff club to play badminton with his parents?

7. How does Okenwa describe his elderly parents at the start of the story?

8. What did Okenwa's parents do for work?

9. What has changed about Okenwa's parents since retirement?

10. Where did Okenwa's parents meet? How did their parents feel about their union?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Define setting and discuss the significance of the settings in the story. The story takes place in Okenwa's parents home in the present, his childhood home, and briefly in Raphael's room. In what way does each setting develop the themes of the story and move the plot forward?

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay about the author of "Apollo." Who is she? What else has she written? How is "Apollo" similar or different from Adichie's previous works?

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay analyzing Adichie's commentary on class in "Apollo." How is class important to the story? How does it affect the narrative? Use textual evidence to explain your analysis.

(see the answer keys)

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