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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. Who is Mademba's father?

2. How does Alfa think Captain Armand sees him?

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

4. What is the doctor's personality like?

5. What does Alfa suspect about Seck's translation of Captain Armand's directions to Alfa?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who takes Alfa in after his mother leaves and fails to return?

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

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

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

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

6. What does Alfa think the war has done to him, as he explains in Part III?

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

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

9. Why does Alfa suspect his father lets him be adopted by another family?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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.

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

What are Alfa's feelings about his village, Gandiol, his experiences there coming of age, and his father? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 658 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample