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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 Bam mean when he notes that “women are cowards”?

2. What did July bring back with him after taking the bakke without permission?

3. Why does the old woman become angry with July in Section 2?

4. What does Bam help July build in Section 3?

5. To whom is Maureen introduced in Section 2?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happened to the blacks under the Small’s employ, including July?

2. Explain where the Smalls find themselves in the opening section, and where they came from.

3. What does Maureen mean when she says “death is a purchase” (pg 65)?

4. What does Maureen realize now about how she treated July, and her assumption that he has taken the keys as one friend takes them from another?

5. What is happening in South Africa at the time of the novel?

6. How does Maureen get the car keys in Section 4, why, and what is July’s reaction?

7. What does Victor’s anger at the “stealing” of “their” water show?

8. Explain what Maureen discovers as she notices various gadgets being used around the village.

9. Why does July object to Maureen’s use of his wife’s cough syrup?

10. What is July’s plan to tell people, when they question his driving of the bakke, and why does Bam object?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compare and contrast the character of Maureen at the beginning of the novel, and at the end of the novel. What are similarities? What are differences? How has she changed through the novel, and what caused her to change?

Essay Topic 2

Apartheid is another primary topic in the novel, as the blacks were continuously kept down by the white minority in power. Bam and Maureen claimed to fight against this concept. Do you think they really did? Why or why not? How do their actions in the novel show they enjoyed their privileged state more than they openly admitted? How did July feel about this?

Essay Topic 3

In the book, the chief is willing to kill other blacks in order to save his own lands and power. Describe this concept. Why would the chief be willing to kill “his own people” in the words of the Smalls? What does July explain that shows blacks are not all in collusion with one another? How does the chief see other blacks if they threaten his power? Does the Smalls’ belief that they should band together show support or a lack of understanding? Why?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 963 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample