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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 were the British forces hunting down?

2. Who unexpectedly visited Ngũgĩ and his brother and mother in the field in Chapter 31?

3. What Shakespearean play did they perform in Chapter 40 which Ngũgĩ says showed him the magic of theater?

4. No longer a sanctuary or refuge, what metaphor does Ngũgĩ use to describe Alliance at the start of Chapter 32?

5. Where would Ngũgĩ be screened by Government officials?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Ngũgĩ unsuccessfully attempt to do as part of his spiritual journey, which E.K. seems to do with great success?

2. Describe Ngũgĩ’s feelings about volunteering at Sunday School and the words or phrases he uses to express these feelings?

3. What metaphor does Ngũgĩ use to describe the struggle in Kenya?

4. Why and when did the Saturday Evening paper begin and what did Ngũgĩ like about it?

5. What are some of the things that make the new village feel like the old village when Ngũgĩ returns home for Christmas?

6. What words does Ngũgĩ use to describe the school when he returns from break in January 1957?

7. What is the significance of Ngũgĩ’s Alliance uniform when he saw Good Wallace. How did he feel? How did Good Wallace react?

8. Why is Charity arrested? What is she accused of doing? Does Ngũgĩ think she did it? Why or why not?

9. In what ways does Ngũgĩ say Alliance used schools of the American South as a model when it first opened?

10. What are the big changes Ngũgĩ describes at the beginning of Chapter 32?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Ngũgĩ discusses how his teachers at Alliance were both white and Black and were seen as equals. Research the effects on students of having a teacher body that is representative of the students race and gender.

Essay Topic 2

Ngũgĩ’s English class was given a tour of a real “Englishmen’s house” (20). Describe the house and compare it to Ngũgĩ’s home. Why do you think this was one of the first things the teacher does with new students?

Essay Topic 3

The Mugumo tree is a recurring symbol throughout the book. Consider its meaning and particularly what Ngũgĩ’s mother says of the tree on page 99. Write an essay on its significance.

(see the answer keys)

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