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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What is a "cheese boy" in the vernacular of Alexandra, South Africa?
(a) A mascot for a beloved macaroni and cheese restaurant.
(b) A derogatory term for white people.
(c) Someone wealthy enough to afford cheese.
(d) A dairy farmer.

2. What is the single official language of South Africa?
(a) South Africa has no official language.
(b) Afrikaans.
(c) Zulu.
(d) There are 11 official languages in South Africa.

3. How did the author feel about pushing his mother's car?
(a) He thought it would help him build character.
(b) He thought his feats of strength would impress his peers.
(c) He thought it was funny.
(d) He thought it was humiliating.

4. Why did Patricia warn the author not to tell Abel about the incident under the mulberry tree?
(a) She knew that Abel would react with violence.
(b) She knew that Abel would laugh at the author.
(c) Abel had just had a long day and could not handle the emotional stress of learning what happened.
(d) She did not want Abel to know that she had raised a son who could not protect himself.

5. Why did Alexandra remain standing while other "black ghettoes" (201) were razed?
(a) Alexandra was on a piece of holy ground that white people chose to respect.
(b) The white people allowed Alexandra to remain standing as an act of charity.
(c) The residents of Alexandra fought off the white suburbanites.
(d) The land in Alexandra had been sold to black tenants before doing so was made illegal.

6. What does the author mean when he says that Babiki and her family were amabhujua?
(a) He means that they were poor but spent money on expensive luxuries.
(b) He means that they were extremely skilled accountants.
(c) He means that they were partially descended from Europeans.
(d) He means that they knew secret shamanic traditions.

7. What tribe was native to South Africa when it was first colonized by Europeans?
(a) The Afrikaners.
(b) The Zulu.
(c) The Khoisan.
(d) The Xhosa.

8. What was the author first saving money for when he started hustling?
(a) He was saving up money to go to college.
(b) He was saving up money to buy a roach-infested flat.
(c) He was saving up money to move to America.
(d) He was saving up money to start his own business.

9. What happened between Maylene and the author on Valentine's Day?
(a) They learned that they were actually first cousins.
(b) They had a lovely time reading poetry together.
(c) She left him for the white boy, Lorenzo.
(d) They got into a horrible fight and broke up.

10. What happened to the unemployment rate in South Africa after apartheid?
(a) It went up.
(b) All work was outlawed.
(c) It stayed the same.
(d) It fell drastically.

11. How did the mothers of Alexandra feel about the author and his fellow "cheese boys"?
(a) Mothers hated the cheese boys.
(b) Mothers feared the cheese boys.
(c) Mothers were some of their best customers.
(d) Mothers knew nothing of the cheese boys' antics.

12. How did Zaheera feel about the author?
(a) She hated him.
(b) She did not know that he existed.
(c) She liked him back and secretly wished that he would ask her out.
(d) She thought of him as just a friend.

13. What did Babiki refuse to do once she and the author arrived at the dance?
(a) Kiss the author.
(b) Stop singing.
(c) Keep her shoes on.
(d) Leave the car.

14. How did the author behave when he realized he had a crush during grade 9?
(a) He asked his crush out right away.
(b) He disavowed all forms of lust and went into monastic seclusion.
(c) He kept it secret.
(d) He asked his mother for advice.

15. Who did the author credit with giving him and his friends permission to chant Hitler's name?
(a) Benito Mussolini.
(b) Joseph Goebbels.
(c) Nelson Mandela.
(d) Morgan Freeman.

Short Answer Questions

1. How did the author feel when he saw what Abel did to the ringleader from the incident under the mulberry tree?

2. What were Model C Schools?

3. What did the teacher who unplugged the author's speakers assume about the author and his dance crew?

4. According to the author, what did crime do that the government would not do in Alexandra, South Africa?

5. When did the author decide to reveal his crush on Zaheera?

(see the answer keys)

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