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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Which character does Kumalo’s friend, who works on the Jarvis farm, tell him is sick?
(a) Margaret Jarvis.
(b) Arthur Jarvis’ wife.
(c) Arthur Jarvis’ son.
(d) James Jarvis.

2. What is Absalom’s wife’s response to her new home?
(a) She is fearful of the natural world.
(b) She weeps with happiness.
(c) She sulks and is unresponsive.
(d) She is completely indifferent.

3. Which of the following best describes James’ attitude towards blacks before reading Arthur’s papers?
(a) Actively progressive.
(b) Disinterested and distasteful.
(c) Respectful but indifferent.
(d) Actively hateful.

4. What natural phenomenon is afflicting Umzimkulu valley when Kumalo returns home?
(a) Forest fires.
(b) Locusts.
(c) Monsoons.
(d) Drought.

5. What is the name of the town in which the Jarvises reside?
(a) Ixopo.
(b) Ndotsheni.
(c) Alexandra.
(d) Carisbrooke.

6. Which sacrament is performed immediately following the sentencing in the prison?
(a) Matrimony.
(b) Last Rites.
(c) Reconciliation.
(d) Communion.

7. Who will the lawyer submit a final appeal for mercy to in Absalom’s case?
(a) The President.
(b) The Supreme Court.
(c) The Governor-General-in Council.
(d) The Synod of the Diocese of Johannesburg.

8. What time of day will Absalom be executed?
(a) Dawn.
(b) Midnight.
(c) Dusk.
(d) Noon.

9. What is the name of the Jarvis farm?
(a) Cloud High.
(b) Rainbow Valley.
(c) High Place.
(d) Sky Farm.

10. Whose death devastates the villagers of Ndotsheni?
(a) Jarvis’ wife.
(b) Kumalo’s wife.
(c) The tribe’s chief.
(d) Gertrude.

11. What does James Jarvis express when Kumalo tells him Absalom’s execution date?
(a) He expresses relief that it will finally all be over.
(b) He promises to remember the day and think of Absalom and Kumalo.
(c) He weeps anew for his dead son.
(d) He announces he will visit the governor and try to get the decision reversed with a direct appeal.

12. How do the villagers react to the changes the agricultural demonstrator tries to implement?
(a) They question them curiously, trying to understand the science behind them.
(b) They are too lazy to make the changes.
(c) They are wary of change but slowly adopt the demonstrator’s suggestions.
(d) They enthusiastically embrace them in hopes things will get better in the valley.

13. What was the name of the paper Arthur Jarvis was writing about justice for blacks?
(a) “A Modern Emancipation Proclamation.”
(b) “Don’t Blame the Natives.”
(c) “Equality and Justice for All.”
(d) “The Truth About Native Crime.”

14. Who reveals to the Jarvises that their son has been murdered?
(a) Their daughter in law, Mary Jarvis.
(b) Stephen Kumalo.
(c) A local police captain, Van Jaarsveld.
(d) Their son’s brother-in-law, John Harrison.

15. What day is Absalom set to be executed?
(a) The first of the month.
(b) The thirtieth of the month.
(c) None of the above.
(d) The fifteenth of the month.

Short Answer Questions

1. How did the three accomplices disguise themselves during the housebreak?

2. Which of the following is NOT a reason the Judge gives for not giving Absalom leniency?

3. What inexplicable activity does the character who unexpectedly appears in Ndotsheni with the village chief and magistrate participate in?

4. What final feeling does the novel have about the future of Africa?

5. Complete the following statement Kumalo makes when Arthur Jarvis’ son announces he will soon leave Natal: “When you go, something _______ will go out of Ndotsheni.”

(see the answer keys)

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