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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 has the government promised to do to help the local chiefs?

2. What is Victor forgetting how to do by Section 9?

3. Where do Bam and the children go after dinner in Section 10?

4. Why do the Smalls lead their children away from the party in Section 9?

5. Who does Maureen hear as she runs through the jungle at the end of the book?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the scene where Bam lays face first in the bed. What happened, and what does this signify?

2. What is missing when the Smalls arrive back at the hut in Section 9, and what does this likely mean for the family?

3. Describe what Bam’s feeding of the children shows, in terms of his role in the household, compared to his previous life?

4. Why does Maureen give a final belittling speech to July, and what does she say?

5. In Section 9, what does Martha dream for the future, and how does this differ from July’s dreams?

6. Explain how Maureen feels about her husband after living in the village for a time.

7. What does the author mean when she says Victor is angry “with a white man’s anger, too big for him”?

8. Describe the birth of animals in the Smalls’ hut, and how that relates to the accusation of theft.

9. What does Martha wonder most about the white woman, when she lived in town with July?

10. Explain the function of the black man the Smalls meet before the chief.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The novel has a rather ambiguous ending, with Maureen running toward the helicopter, not knowing which side it represents. Explain, in detail, what this means for Maureen. Why is she running, without her family, without knowing what the end result will be? What does this say about her state of mind and her ability to continue coping outside of her comfort zone?

Essay Topic 2

Although Maureen and Bam claim to be against the life of privileged whites, their children’s behaviors betray this concept. Choose one scene in which the behavior of the children leads one to believe they are, indeed, over privileged, and that they don’t share their parents’ views of equality for blacks.

Essay Topic 3

The photograph of Maureen and Lydia is a focal point for Maureen in the novel. Explain what that photograph would mean in apartheid South Africa. Why was this so important for Maureen as an adult? What did the photograph imply, to her, as she noted her ignorance? Do you think she has changed? How?

(see the answer keys)

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