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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. Which soldier does Alfa extract from the trench to kill in Chapter XII?

2. What does Alfa think about his own physical appearance?

3. How does Alfa think Captain Armand really feels about war?

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

5. What tribe was Alfa's maternal grandfather from?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Alfa think Mademoiselle Francois likes him?

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

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

4. Why does Alfa suspect his father did not let him go with Penndo Ba when she left?

5. Why do the soldiers in Alfa's unit decide to disobey Captain Armand in Part III?

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

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

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay analyzing the language and tone Diop uses throughout this novel, especially as he depicts scenes of war and conflict.

Essay Topic 2

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.

Essay Topic 3

Why does Alfa feel that he owes his best friend Mademba deeply, and in the end of the novel, how does Alfa seem to fulfill what he sees as his debt or obligation to the deceased Mademba? 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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