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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 does Miss Lennox do for Henderson?

2. What is different about the stick the Wiriri herdsman is carrying?

3. What is the name of Itelo's aunt?

4. How many children do Lily and Henderson have?

5. What kind of sea creature makes Henderson feel like he is dying?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Henderson react to the corpse in Chapter Eleven?

2. Why are the villagers so upset when Henderson arrives in Chapter Five?

3. Describe how Henderson kills the frogs.

4. What does Henderson remember about his dentist back in Europe and America?

5. Describe Romilayu and Henderson's journey to Wariri.

6. What convinces Henderson to go to Africa with Charlie and his wife?

7. What does Ricey do with the black baby?

8. How does the meeting with Willatale change Henderson?

9. Describe the meeting between Willatale and Henderson.

10. In what way is Willatale sympathetic to Henderson's plight?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The novel is set mostly in Africa.

1) What meaning does Africa bring to the novel? What would you automatically presume about a novel that is set in Africa?

2) How different do you think today's Africa is to the Africa in the novel? How do you think the novel's meaning would change if it were set in today's Africa?

3) How do you think the African settings of the novel contributes to the novel's spiritual meaning?

Essay Topic 2

Examine Henderson's decision to leave his family for such a long time. Do characters such as Ricey and Lily need him to stay? How does his decision affect them? Does Henderson have an alternative to going to Africa, one that that still allows him to discover who he is? Is such an act could potentially destructive to a family? What does it say about American society that he decides to leave?

Essay Topic 3

Compare the characters of Henderson and Lily.

1) In what ways are their morals different?

2) What is their relationship to each other?

3) Do you think they are the perfect match?

(see the answer keys)

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