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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What is the primary emotional reaction of everyone Kumalo asks about Absalom?
(a) They all seem fond of Absalom.
(b) They all seem afraid of Absalom.
(c) They all seem proud of Absalom.
(d) They all seem disgusted with Absalom.

2. Which character shows the most disgust toward the Absalom’s girl’s behavior?
(a) The reformatory worker.
(b) Absalom.
(c) Kumalo.
(d) Msimangu.

3. Why does Kumalo go to see his brother before visiting Absalom in jail?
(a) Because John is Absalom’s godfather and will want to visit Absalom as well.
(b) Because John’s own son was an accomplice in the murder.
(c) Because John’s rousing oratory has been implicated in the justification for murder.
(d) Because John is a powerful man and might be able to help Absalom get bail.

4. Who does Stephen Kumalo receive a letter from in the opening pages of the novel?
(a) Msimangu.
(b) John.
(c) Absalom.
(d) Gertrude.

5. What is the phrase used to describe why the lawyer takes the case without payment?
(a) Pro deo.
(b) Habeas corpus.
(c) Carpe diem.
(d) E. pluribus unum.

6. What has become of Kumalo’s sister since she arrived in the city?
(a) She has turned to liquor and prostitution.
(b) She has divorced her husband.
(c) She has become a nun.
(d) She has been jailed without cause.

7. How does Absalom’s girl react when Kumalo tells her she will have to leave Johannesburg if she marries Absalom?
(a) She wants to put her baby up for adoption instead.
(b) She is pleased at the idea of a quiet, rural life.
(c) She demands financial compensation for the inconvenience.
(d) She sulks and wishes to break off the engagement.

8. What wealth-making industry has drawn so many young men to the city?
(a) Gold.
(b) Diamonds.
(c) Platinum.
(d) Oil.

9. What does Kumalo harshly criticize his son for doing before the crime was committed?
(a) He criticizes him for failing to find Gertrude like he was supposed to.
(b) He criticizes him for getting a young girl pregnant.
(c) He criticizes him for keeping company with “friends” he knew were not trustworthy.
(d) He criticizes him for leaving the village in the first place.

10. What neighborhood of the city does Msimangu live in?
(a) Orlando.
(b) Sophiatown.
(c) Claremont.
(d) Alexandra.

11. What is the name of the woman who rents a room to Kumalo?
(a) Mrs. Lithebe.
(b) Mrs. Mkize.
(c) Mrs. Ndlela.
(d) Mrs. Dubula.

12. Why does Kumalo feel betrayed by his brother John?
(a) Because John renounces any familial bond with Stephen or Absalom.
(b) Because John is prepared to act as an alibi to get his own son off the hook.
(c) Because John is secretly gleeful that a white man is dead.
(d) Because John is willing to hire a lawyer to lie about his own son’s involvement in the murder.

13. Which of the following best describes the theme of Msimangu’s preaching?
(a) He urges his followers to stand up for their rights by any means necessary.
(b) He urges his followers to practice passive protest for justice.
(c) He urges his followers to rely on God to relieve their suffering.
(d) He urges his followers to accept their role as inferior to whites.

14. Who apologizes to Kumalo for behaving badly towards him and refusing to help him get a lawyer for Absalom?
(a) His brother John.
(b) Father Vincent.
(c) Msimangu.
(d) The reformatory worker.

15. What city does the writer of the letter live in?
(a) Johannesburg.
(b) Durban.
(c) Cape Town.
(d) Pretoria.

Short Answer Questions

1. Which of the following does the black woman NOT lament?

2. What kind of protest affects Kumalo and Msimangu’s attempts to locate Absalom?

3. What title of respect do most people address Kumalo with?

4. Chapter 12 steps out of the main plot to relate snippets of whites reacting to “native crime” via what platform?

5. What is the FIRST place Kumalo and Msimangu visit to track down Absalom?

(see the answer keys)

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