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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Who were the British forces hunting down?
(a) White colonists.
(b) Mau Mau guerillas.
(c) Escaped prisoners.
(d) Alliance students.

2. In what annual performance did Ngũgĩ land the role of foot soldier?
(a) Henry IV, Part I.
(b) Henry VII.
(c) Henry IV, Part IX.
(d) King Lear.

3. Which of Ngũgĩ’s family members worked at European owned tea estates?
(a) Njoki and Charity.
(b) His mother and Charity.
(c) His brothers.
(d) His mother and Njoki.

4. Who was the first President of Kenya?
(a) Jonyo Kenyatta.
(b) Joseph Kariuki.
(c) Joseph Kenyatta.
(d) Jonyo Mau Mau.

5. Who does Ngũgĩ run into at a tailor shop in Kikuyi?
(a) Kenneth Mbgũa.
(b) His mother.
(c) His sister.
(d) Igogo.

6. For what holiday did Ngũgĩ help the Limuru youth put on a performance?
(a) Thanksgiving.
(b) New Year’s
(c) Easter.
(d) Christmas.

7. Who unexpectedly visited Ngũgĩ and his brother and mother in the field in Chapter 31?
(a) Edward Carey Francis.
(b) Allan Ogot.
(c) Joseph Kariuki.
(d) His father.

8. When the Russians launched Sputnik II, what animal was on it that caused outrage?
(a) A cat.
(b) A dog.
(c) A giraffe.
(d) A bird.

9. What was the name of the English teacher who took Ngũgĩ’s class on a tour of a real Englishmen’s house?
(a) P.R. Oades.
(b) Moses Gathere.
(c) Principal Smith.
(d) Edward Carey Francis.

10. What word does Ngũgĩ use to describe Alliance High School?
(a) Prison.
(b) Encampment.
(c) Sanctuary.
(d) Safe space.

11. What image does Ngũgĩ use to describe his fear of British forces?
(a) Bloodhounds.
(b) Lions.
(c) Tigers.
(d) Bears.

12. What was the punishment for returning to school late in Chapter 23?
(a) Cleaning the bathrooms.
(b) Cutting the grass.
(c) Getting a license.
(d) Writing an extra paper.

13. Who ruled Egypt during the Nationalization of the Suez Canal?
(a) Dedan Kimathi.
(b) Colonel Matai.
(c) Colonel Nasser.
(d) Jonyo Kenyatta.

14. What was the name of the prison to which Ngũgĩ had to go to receive his final confirmation in Chapter 21?
(a) Kamaruthu.
(b) Gotini.
(c) Tigoni.
(d) Limuru.

15. What is the name of the special Saturday when students are allowed to leave the school all day?
(a) Nairobi Fest.
(b) Nairobi Saturday.
(c) Limuru Day.
(d) Kikuyi Saturday.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who is the author of In the House of the Interpreter?

2. Which friend did Ngũgĩ bump into and fail to convert in Chapter 35?

3. What was the name of the evangelical speaker who so moved Ngũgĩ to accept Jesus?

4. What metaphor does Ngũgĩ use to describe the racial conflict in Kenya?

5. From whom did Ngũgĩ receive a long letter regarding whether one needed a license to write?

(see the answer keys)

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