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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 kind of ticket does Henderson buy for his trip to Africa?

2. Where does Henderson think he finds power?

3. What does Henderson press against the wall?

4. Why does Itelo refuse to kill Henderson?

5. Which of Itelo's relatives does Henderson meet?

Short Essay Questions

1. In what way is Henderson's colonial mindset revealed in this chapter?

2. In what way is Henderson caught between Lily and Frances?

3. Describe Lily's life up to meeting Henderson?

4. Describe how Henderson kills the frogs.

5. How has Lily' s life changed in Chapter Three?

6. Of what does the pink light remind Henderson?

7. How does the meeting with Willatale change Henderson?

8. In what way do Lily and Henderson's opinions differ on the portrait?

9. Describe Mtalba's visit with Henderson.

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Examine all the philosophical ideas that Bellow uses in the book, for example, the philosophy of existentialism. Why is the question of human nature such an important question in this book? How do the philosophies relate to the novel and its characters. In what way does Bellow use elements such as dialogue and characterization to communicate these ideas?

Essay Topic 2

Henderson the Rain King is part of the philosophical genre.

1) What are the conventions of the philosophical genre in terms of character, language and plot?

2) In what way did Rain King help to set the template for similar novels? Do modern novels still use the ideas used in Rain King?

Essay Topic 3

In what way does the novel reflect changes or problems that occur in Africa years later? In what way does the novel reflect the relationship between Africa and America as it is now?

(see the answer keys)

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