View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who is Alfa's only real white friend among his fellow soldiers?

2. Who does Alfa believe his thoughts belong to?

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

4. What does Mademba ask Alfa to do for him in Part I?

5. What does Alfa think of himself in Chapter III when he "leaves the belly of the earth"?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Alfa not want to reveal where he is hiding the severed hands of the Germans to Captain Armand?

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

3. Why does Alfa feel almost entirely responsible for Mademba's death?

4. What was all Alfa could think about when he stayed with Mademba during Mademba's last hours?

5. What phrase does Alfa Ndiaye begin repeating immediately in Part I?

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

7. What does Alfa begin to understand that his fellow soldiers think he is?

8. Why does Alfa receive the Croix de Guerre, a medal of honor?

9. What was the purpose of the joking relationship between Alfa and Mademba?

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

What are Alfa's own feelings and beliefs regarding black magic and sorcery throughout the novel? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 2

Why does Alfa feel so intensely guilty about, and indeed responsible for, his best friend Mademba's death? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 3

Alfa feels that his white commanders in the army want him to act the part of the savage, but only when and if it is convenient to them. Write an essay explaining Alfa's feelings about his commanders' perceptions of him as a "savage," citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 662 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample