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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. What phrase does Afla repeat many times at the beginning of his sentences in Part I?

2. Why are the fires the men make in the trenches so small?

3. What does Alfa always come back to the trenches with after Mademba dies?

4. What does Alfa do with Mademba's body after he dies?

5. What is a totem, according to Alfa?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Alfa often see in his enemy's eyes before he kills him?

2. What does Afla think of the trenches as when he takes Mademba back there with him following Mademba's death?

3. What does Mademba ask Alfa to do as Mademba lays mortally wounded on the battlefield?

4. What does Alfa really think about Captain Armand's praise for Black soldiers?

5. How does Alfa repeatedly refer to Mademba in the narration?

6. Why does Jean-Baptiste decide to goad the enemy into killing him?

7. What does Alfa say he becomes when he goes out to seek the vengeance on German's for Mademba's death?

8. What is the cultural attitude from Alfa's culture towards the symbol of a totem?

9. Why does Alfa think the mad are useful on the battlefield?

10. What does Captain Armand want Alfa to do in Part II?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

When and how does Alfa express remorse for his brutal acts of vengeance against German soldiers in the wake of Mademba's killing? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 2

Why does Alfa rape Mademoiselle Francois, and what tragic series of events leads up to this act of violence? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 3

How and why does Alfa feel Doctor Francois's attitude shift towards him in the aftermath of his own drawing of the severed hands? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 648 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample