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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. Who performs the sacrament that is performed immediately following the sentencing in the prison?

2. How many black miners die during their short-lived strike?

3. What option does Kumalo briefly consider upon returning home due to his shame regarding his family’s behavior?

4. Which sacrament is performed immediately following the sentencing in the prison?

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

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. 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?

4. In Book Two, Chapter Five, who does the author make ultimately responsible for South African law, Judges or white South Africans, and why?

5. Summarize the main events of the meeting between James Jarvis and Kumalo at the house of Jarvis’ kinswoman Barbara Smith.

6. Explain the metaphorical usage of the rainstorm that occurs in Book Three, Chapter 3.

7. After reading more of his son’s papers, why does James Jarvis leave through the front of the house rather than walking past the blood-stained floor again?

8. How does James Jarvis react when Kumalo tries to thank him for all the good work he is doing in Ndotsheni? Why does he likely react this way?

9. Compare and contrast the lifestyles of James Jarvis and Stephen Kumalo living so close to each other in the Natal province.

10. Describe the villagers’ reaction to Kumalo’s return to Ndotsheni, from the time he gets off the train until he reaches the church.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Give examples of literary, religious, or pop-cultural allusions in Cry, the Beloved Country and discuss the importance of each. What is the root of this allusion? How does the work cited connect with the plot/characters/themes in Cry, the Beloved Country?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the historical context of Cry, the Beloved Country. When was this novel written? What real-life experiences influenced the author in this work? How does the novel reflect upon the political and social atmosphere of South Africa?

Essay Topic 3

Analyze and discuss the character of Absalom in Cry, the Beloved Country. What is Absalom's place in the plot of the story? What is Absalom accused of? What is the ruling in his case?

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