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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does Mrs. Ndlela tell Kumalo and Msimangu about Absalom that concerns them?
(a) She tells them Absalom stole from her.
(b) She tells them Absalom had been in jail.
(c) She tells them Absalom was spending time with a bad crowd.
(d) She tells them Absalom had a child out of wedlock.

2. How long has it been since the Kumalos heard from their son?
(a) One month.
(b) Two years.
(c) One year.
(d) Six months.

3. What is the name of the family Absalom was living with in Orlando?
(a) Seme.
(b) Hlayshwayo.
(c) Jarvis.
(d) Pafuri.

4. Who tells Kumalo that Absalom is responsible for the murder?
(a) Father Vincent.
(b) John Kumalo.
(c) Gertrude.
(d) The reformatory worker.

5. What hardship did Absalom’s girl suffer as a child?
(a) Her mother was an alcoholic.
(b) Her mother beat her daily.
(c) Her mother died when she was a baby.
(d) Her mother was sent to a mental asylum.

Short Answer Questions

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

2. What neighborhood of the city does Msimangu live in?

3. Which word(s) best describes John’s feelings toward tribal chiefs and the Church?

4. What tribe does Kumalo belong to?

5. Which of the following is NOT something the white reformatory worker tells Kumalo about Absalom’s recent experiences?

Short Essay Questions

1. What feelings do Stephen Kumalo and his wife have before they open the letter they receive at the beginning of the book? Why do they feel this way?

2. Why is Kumalo upset that John Kumalo decides to get a lawyer to defend his own son in the trial about the murder?

3. What does Kumalo fear when he hears of Arthur Jarvis’ murder?

4. Compare and contrast Kumalo and Msimangu’s reaction to Absalom’s pregnant girl.

5. What unofficial title do most members of Ndotsheni bestow on Kumalo’s wife, and what does it signify?

6. How does the white reformatory worker’s attitude toward Absalom differ from all the other people who have interacted with Absalom that Kumalo meets?

7. How does Gertrude react to seeing Kumalo in Johannesburg? How does she feel about her own behavior, and the prospect of returning to Ndotsheni?

8. Why does Mrs. Lithebe warn the pregnant girl about spending time with Gertrude?

9. What surprises Kumalo about the behavior of many whites regarding the bus boycott?

10. What additional errand does a friend of Kumalo’s ask him to run while he is in the city? How does this reflect the themes of the novel?

(see the answer keys)

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