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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. In Chapter III, what does Alfa think of his fellow soldiers?

2. What, in war, is "bravery's sister," according to Alfa?

3. What does Alfa think his fellow soldiers prefer to think might kill them?

4. How old is Alfa when the novel starts?

5. What forces Alfa to ignore Mademba's suffering as Mademba is dying?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What does Alfa notice about Ibrahima Sack's translations for Captain Armand to Alfa in Part II?

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

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

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

6. What does Alfa think about his fellow soldiers and his perceptions of who is really is in Part I?

7. What does Alfa do as a sign of honor for Mademba immediately after Mademba's death?

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does Alfa view Captain Armand's slaughter of his own soldiers who had refused to obey his orders? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 2

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.

Essay Topic 3

How does the apparent mystical merging of Alfa and Mademba in Alfa's body at the end of the novel relate to Diop's exploration of the theme of opposites that Diop focuses on throughout the novel? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

(see the answer keys)

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