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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. James has a fleeting memory of the Ndotsheni church and Kumalo as priest. Which of the following best describes his impression of them?
(a) James remembers the church and Kumalo as dignified and sacred.
(b) James remembers the church and Kumalo as vibrant and passionate.
(c) James remembers the church and Kumalo as cheap and shifty.
(d) James remembers the church and Kumalo as dirty and forlorn.

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

3. Why is there little public interest in Absalom’s murder trial?
(a) Because newspapers did want to draw attention to black violence against whites.
(b) Because a more prominent politician was recently murdered and his killer was still at large.
(c) Because gold had been discovered in Odendaalsrust.
(d) Because a mining strike was causing violent outbreaks all over the city.

4. What do Ndotsheni’s children lack which is causing them to die in greater than average numbers?
(a) Malaria medicine.
(b) Milk.
(c) Clean water.
(d) Vitamin C.

5. Which statement best describes Margaret Jarvis’ relationship with Arthur compared to James’?
(a) Margaret understood Arthur better than James did.
(b) Margaret was more estranged from Arthur than James was.
(c) Margaret and James had the same exact relationship with Arthur.
(d) Margaret took James’ side against Arthur when necessary.

Short Answer Questions

1. What was the name of the paper Arthur Jarvis was writing about justice for blacks?

2. What is the agricultural demonstrator’s attitude toward white people?

3. Where does Kumalo put his energy immediately upon returning from Johannesburg?

4. Why does Kumalo also appear at the same house that Arther and Margaret are visiting as a respite from the trail?

5. What had James Jarvis hoped would be his son’s career?

Short Essay Questions

1. Briefly describe the relationship between James and Arthur Jarvis. How does it differ from Arthur’s relationship with his mother?

2. Describe the build-up, events, and results of the black mining strike.

3. Compare and contrast James Jarvis and John Harrison, Sr.’s attitudes towards blacks before James starts reading Arthur’s papers.

4. Compare and contrast Absalom and his wife’s reactions to their wedding.

5. Describe the final meeting between Stephen and John Kumalo.

6. What is the Judge’s ruling in the cases against Absalom and his two accomplices, Johannes and Matthew, and what are the Judge’s reasons for his verdicts?

7. How does the focus of the novel shift at the beginning of Book Two? Who becomes a secondary protagonist and when does their story start?

8. What becomes Kumalo’s obsession when he returns to Ndotsheni, and what ways does he act on it? What are the results of his efforts?

9. How does the village chief’s interaction with the magistrate and James Jarvis support John Kumalo’s earlier statement about chiefs, “He is a trick, a trick to hold together something that the white man desires to hold together.”

10. Describe how Kumalo reacts when the Bishop tells him he wants to remove Kumalo from Ndotsheni.

(see the answer keys)

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