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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 subject does Shirley Graham teach at Mikey's school?

2. What does Silas wrap around Lydia's injuries to try to stop the bleeding?

3. What happens when Mikey tries to break the blue Ali stone?

4. What is the abbreviation for the underground movement Silas and Kate were a part of?

5. How does Mikey feel before he begins to read his mother's diary?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Silas react to seeing Lydia's injuries after she steps on the broken glass?

2. What is Mikey's reaction to reading that he is the product of a rape in his mother's diary?

3. Why can't Gracie sleep at night?

4. How does Lydia react to the broken glass beneath her feet?

5. What does Silas think about as he is driving home from the hospital after refusing medical care?

6. What happened at a dinner party, which outraged Lydia so much that she never wanted Kate near Mikey again?

7. How does Kate react to Mikey while she is staying with him?

8. What does Kate think about when she pulls away from Mikey's house, after he asks her to gather papers on Du Boise?

9. What is "Playing Gandhi"?

10. Why does Silas follow Du Boise to the cafe?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The use of religion is carefully plotted out by Dangor as Mikey makes his transition from boyhood to manhood in the novel. There are two main religious icons used as symbols in the text: the Kaaba stone and the Imam. Briefly describe both the Kaaba stone and Imam, and explain how each of these religious symbols affected Mikey in his coming-of-age.

Essay Topic 2

The novel "Bitter Fruit" is set in post-apartheid South Africa. Even though the apartheid is no longer happening, the residual effects of this ethnic segregation are still very present in the lives of the Ali family. Briefly explain how the apartheid affected the Ali family directly, and give two examples of the residual effects of segregation that continue to affect all the black Africans living in South Africa.

Essay Topic 3

One of the biggest acts of betrayal in this novel is the way that Alec betrays his friendship with Silas and keeps a dark secret from him for almost twenty years. Explain what secret Alec is keeping from Silas, and what lengths he goes to in order to ensure that the secret would never come out. Then, explain why Alec finally decides to tell Silas, and how this admittance affected their relationship.

(see the answer keys)

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