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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 objects does the narrator obsess over losing during her trip to Tsau?

2. Who does the narrator call "my boys" during her trip to Tsau?

3. After the narrator has been in Tsau a couple of days, who tells her the village has no room for one more and she must leave as soon as possible?

4. Where does the narrator stop before heading to Tsau?

5. How does the narrator feel about Nelson Doonen's holier-than-thou political attitudes?

Short Essay Questions

1. What feelings does the narrator have as a result of visiting Victoria Falls with Giles? Why?

2. There are disagreements as to whether or not Nelson and the narrator should be a couple. Describe the feelings on this subject in the village.

3. What secret does the narrator learn from "Z"?

4. Why does the narrator position herself as cultural tour guide while in Gaborone?

5. Why does the narrator stick to the story she created when she first entered Tsau?

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

7. Nelson leaves Tsau on retreat for four days. Why doesn't he tell the narrator why or where he is going? How does the narrator react?

8. How does the author depict the relationship between Grace and Nelson Denoon? How does the reader know this?

9. Nelson Denoon tells the narrator at the squatters settlement that there is no place for her on his project. However, she is packing anyway. Why? What does this say about her character?

10. What does the narrator take with her to Tsau? Why is this significant?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the exchange between Dineo and the narrator before she takes Nelson to Gaborone. Examine the way the relationship between the two women has evolved and how outside circumstances have effected each of them throughout the story. How has each character evolved?

Essay Topic 2

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.

Essay Topic 3

The narrator convinces Nelson to let her use his gun to shoot vervets. This is significant because Nelson dislikes guns and does not want them in the village. Why does he feel that way? What interaction does the narrator have while out with the gun? How does this speak to Nelson's feelings?

(see the answer keys)

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