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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 "Z" do for a living?

2. Who leads the narrator to Nelson Denoon?

3. What are the purposes of the inventions Nelson Denoon puts around Tsau?

4. What is Nelson Denoon doing when the narrator and Grace find him at the party?

5. What language does Nelson Denoon use to deliver a speech?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Dineo question about the narrator's cover story after the narrator has been in Tsau for a few days and why?

2. What happens between the narrator and Nelson Denoon when she first finds the place he is staying?

3. The narrator begins to have very strange experiences in the desert. What are they, and how does she overcome it?

4. Who is "Z" and what relationship does the narrator share with him?

5. The narrator travels across the desert to Tsau with two donkeys. How does she feel about them? Why?

6. What does the narrator notice as she approaches Tsau? What memories does it evoke?

7. What does the sandstorm at the end of the American diplomat's party represent?

8. What drives the narrator to contact Nelson Denoon?

9. What does the narrator obsess about losing after her donkey runs away? Why?

10. Why does the narrator have such difficulty finding the place where Nelson Denoon is rumored to be staying?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The narrator faces several perils in the desert on her way to Tsau. What are they? How does the way the narrator handle those challenges speak to her character and the way she is evolving in the story? Include the way the narrator feels about her journey and her accomplishments in your answer.

Essay Topic 2

The narrator in this story is anonymous. Why does the author approach the story this way? How does it impact the reader's view of the story? Would it change if we knew more about the narrator, like her name? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

Norman Rush is a male author writing from a female point of view. How do you think this impacts the telling of the story? Is this approach unusual in literature? Why or why not? How do you think the perspective would have changed if it had been written by a woman? Be sure to explain your answers.

(see the answer keys)

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