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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 wrote The Master and Margarita?

2. Who gave the speech "Shakespeare in Africa" at Makerere University College?

3. Who was the President of Toto from 1967 until 2005?

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

5. When did the author begin attending Makerere University College?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What works did the author assign to his students to read just before his arrest? Why?

3. What were the three broad categories of literature available to African children described by the author in Chapter 4, Part III?

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

5. How does the author describe his prison cell in Chapter 3, Part I?

6. Who attended the conference "The Teaching of African Literature in Kenyan Schools"?

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

8. When did the great Nairobi Literature Debate begin? How did it begin?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the author's metaphor of the seven blind men and the elephant. What aspect of literature is demonstrated through this metaphor? What other examples does the author give to make his point? How does this story relate to the concepts of class and philosophical bases?

Essay Topic 2

What relationship between the peasantry and the languages of Africa does the author describe in the book? How is the peasant's relationship to his native tongue different than that of the petty-bourgeoisie? How does language change as a result of this relationship?

Essay Topic 3

What is the African bourgeoisie? How many different threads comprise this social class? What are these threads? Where does the author fall among the classes of Africa?

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