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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is Gertrude’s main emotion when Kumalo discovers how she is living?

2. Which of the following is NOT one of the places the police seeks Absalom?

3. What country does Father Vincent come from?

4. How long has it been since the Kumalos heard from their son?

5. How does Kumalo travel to the city?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Msimangu apologize to Kumalo after they have met the pregnant girl?

2. 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?

3. Describe two sides of the debate that whites have about “native crime” as indicated in the conversations in Chapter 12.

4. Describe the reaction of the pregnant girl to the prospect of living in Ndotsheni. Why does she react this way?

5. How does the first chapter describe the land of the Umzimkulu valley? How does this reflect on the state of the people who live there?

6. Explain why the lawyer, Mr. Carmichael, takes Absalom’s case without payment.

7. Briefly discuss John’s hypocritical attitude towards both the church and tribal chiefs.

8. Describe three excuses Absalom gives to his father for why he killed Arthur Jarvis.

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

10. Briefly discuss all the places Kumalo and Msimangu visit in their search for Absalom.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the changes in Johannesburg from the time that the novel is set to today. How has Apartheid changed and is it still practiced in South Africa? What has prompted the changes in the country?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the theme of power in Cry, the Beloved Country. What represents power in the novel? How is power achieved? What are the repercussions of having no power as seen in this narrative?

Essay Topic 3

Analyze and discuss the character of Gertrude in the novel. How does Gertrude's character propel the plot of the narrative? What symbolism and imagery connect to Gertrude? What themes does Gertrude's character explore?

(see the answer keys)

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