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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. Since when does the author state imperialism has affected the lives of even the peasants in the remotest corners of our countries in his Introduction?

2. Where did Dr. Kimanĩ Gecaũ flee to in 1982?

3. Who was the first Kenyan African Drama and Literature officer that oversaw the Schools Drama Festival?

4. From whom does the author borrow the phrase "empty space" in Chapter 2, Part III (37)?

5. When was This Time Tomorrow written?

Short Essay Questions

1. What role did song and dance have in the original production of Ngaahika Ndeenda?

2. What are the two main strands of the petty-bourgeoisie in Africa that the author describes in Chapter 1, Part VI?

3. What are the origins of drama, according to the author in Chapter 2, Part III?

4. When did Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o cease writing in English? What were his first works in Gĩkũyũ?

5. How are language and communication products of each other?

6. What are the three aspects of language as culture?

7. How does the author describe the peasant's relationship to language in Chapter 1, Part VII?

8. What dramas was the author exposed to during his education?

9. What were Léopold Sédar Senghor's views on language?

10. Who is David Diop and what was his perspective on language?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe the basic plot and themes in Caitaani Mũtharabainĩ. Who are the main characters in the novel? What subjects does the novel explore? Why did the author choose to write this novel in his native tongue?

Essay Topic 2

What impacts have colonization and imperialism had on the language of Kenyans and other Africans? How did colonial schools have a part in these impacts? What were the results of the import of European languages in Africa?

Essay Topic 3

Describe the oral storytelling traditions of Kenya. What were the subjects of these stories? How were they related and who was the audience? What happened to these oral traditions when colonization came to dominate the continent?

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