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

2. How does Alfa think he can tell that the woman at the hospital in the Rear is attracted to him?

3. Why should soldiers not smoke in a war, according to Alfa?

4. What did people in Gandiol sometimes tell Mademba about Alfa?

5. What does Alfa think the war has done to him in Chapter XIV?

Short Essay Questions

1. What did Alfa do to try to catch the person who killed his friend Jean-Baptiste?

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

3. Why does Captain Armand tell Alfa he looked the other way at first when Alfa brought the severed hands back?

4. What does Alfa bring to the hospital with him, and why?

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

6. What method does Doctor Francois use to help patients work through their trauma?

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

8. Why does Alfa think Mademoiselle Francois likes him?

9. What is one convention of romantic relationships in Gandiol?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

What are Alfa's feelings and beliefs about the relationship between sex, losing one's virginity, and manhood? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 3

Why does Alfa believe it is so critical for him to keep the severed hands of the Germans he has killed concealed from Captain Armand, and how does he manage to do so? 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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