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. Why did people in Gandiol avoid walking at night near the river?

2. What does Captain Armand tell the traitorous soldiers they can have if they put themselves over the top of the trench to be killed by the enemy?

3. What did Alfa's father once tell him about laughter?

4. What does Alfa compare his extraction of a German soldier from his trench in Part XII to?

5. What slang term do Alfa's fellow soldiers use for the Germans?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Captain Armand do when the soldiers disobey him?

2. Why does Penndo Ba leave Alfa's father?

3. What does Alfa do to make sure no one finds his severed hands?

4. How does Afla think he wins over Doctor Francois at the hospital?

5. What is the relationship between Penndo Ba and Alfa's father like?

6. What does Alfa come to believe about God's role in what happens in war in Part III?

7. What is the first thing Alfa draws for the doctor?

8. What happens to Alfa's father when Penndo Ba fails to return?

9. Why does Yoro Ba want to "give" Alfa's mother to his father in marriage?

10. What are the circumstances of Alfa's first sexual experience with a woman?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does Alfa's father change after the disappearance of Alfa's mother? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 2

How does Alfa Ndiaye describe himself during his narration, and how does Alfa's view of himself change from before and after his best friend Mademba Diop's killing during battle? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 3

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.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 665 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample