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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 advice did Mr. Rifleman and Mr. Machine Gun give Ngũgĩ in Chapter 71?

2. What did Ngũgĩ name the officer who questioned him about why did he not pay taxes?

3. On the stand, Ngũgĩ says he feels the power of what?

4. What sport did the Johnny the Red’s school play against Alliance?

5. What prison were the prisoners transferred to after Thĩmbĩgwa?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe Ngũgĩ’s final meeting with Edward Carey Francis to receive his Leaving School Certificate.

2. What was the “comedy” Ngũgĩ saw in being taken to Kiambu Remand Prison?

3. What was the letter that John gave to Ngũgĩ, and what did it mean to him?

4. On the stand, Ngũgĩ says something from his Alliance days helped him. What is it?

5. What did the judge say Ngũgĩ was accused of, much to his surprise?

6. What do Andrew Brockett and Ngũgĩ agree would reduce racial tensions?

7. What is Ngũgĩ doing at the end of the story?

8. How does Ngũgĩ describe the manner in which the inmates describe their crimes?

9. What did Ngũgĩ say in reference to his court appearance that foreshadows what happened after the memoir ends?

10. How did Ngũgĩ know the Akamba people prior to volunteering to build them a community center?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

When discussing his seeing Tell Freedom in his teacher, Allan Ogot’s, hands, Ngũgĩ says: “This would become a pattern in my intellectual growth: passing comments and fleeting images, often outside the formal classroom, would leave a lasting, sometimes pivotal mark on my life” (27). What are some of these moments in the text?

Essay Topic 2

Analyze the passage of Pilgrim’s Progress read by Edward Carey Francis on page 42. Why do you think he reads this particular passage? What significance does this have to the story and the title?

Essay Topic 3

Write about Ngũgĩ’s literary journey discussed in Chapter 59. What books and authors impacted him and how?

(see the answer keys)

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