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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 character in Caitaani mũtharaba-Inĩ moves in a matatu taxi from Nairobi to Ilmorog?

2. Who wrote the poem "Speech to Danish Working Class Actors on the Art of Observation"?

3. By what number was Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o called in prison?

4. What is the competition set to choose at the feast of thieves and robbers in Caitaani mũtharaba-Inĩ?

5. What cell number did Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o have in prison?

Short Essay Questions

1. How was written language largely developed in Africa?

2. How did the author go about obtaining the basic necessities for writing while in prison?

3. How were copies of Caitaani Mũtharabainĩ distributed in rural Africa?

4. What does the author say about critical reception of literature in Chapter 3, Part IX?

5. What does the author mean when he refers to Afro-European literature?

6. Who is Wole Soyinka and what works has he written?

7. Why does the author find fault in the orthography of Gĩkũyũ?

8. What does the author mean when he refers to a person's philosophic base of relevance?

9. How does the author define "fiction language"?

10. What is the basic demand in the statement presented by the author, Owuor Anyumba, and Taban Lo Liyong at the University of Nairobi?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe the origins and history of drama, ritual, and ceremony in Africa. Where does all drama originate, according to the author? What rituals were performed in pre-colonial Africa? What happened to African drama during colonization?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the establishment of the Kamĩrĩĩthũ Community Education and Cultural Centre. What was the mission of this institution? Why was this location chosen for the center? How is the physicality of the center described?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss how the printing press and the introduction of colleges and universities in Africa stood as opposing forces for African literature. When was the printing press introduced to Africa and by whom? Who controlled the publication of literature? How did colleges and universities stand as obstacles to African novelists?

(see the answer keys)

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