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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. How does Julius characterize Saidu’s narrative?
(a) Like a trickle of information.
(b) Like a unblocked aquifer.
(c) Like an avalanche of information.
(d) Like a cautious testimony.

2. How old is the Czechoslovakian tourist Julius has a one-night encounter with?
(a) 28.
(b) 40.
(c) 55.
(d) 50.

3. How does Julius say his field of study compares to other fields?
(a) Less satisfying.
(b) More demanding.
(c) Less brutal.
(d) More time intensive.

4. How does Julius characterize his mother’s feelings about Nigeria?
(a) She hated it because she did not feel at home there.
(b) She hated it because she felt trapped there.
(c) She loved it but could never belong there.
(d) She loved it because she had come to belong there.

5. What is the first thing Saidu asks Julius when he meets him at the immigrant detention facility?
(a) Whether he is thirsty.
(b) Whether he is Christian.
(c) Whether he is African.
(d) Whether he is tired.

Short Answer Questions

1. How does Julius say his father’s people reacted to Julius’ father’s death?

2. What effect does Julius’ father’s death have on Julius’ studies?

3. What does Mayken, Julius’ short-term landlord for his stay in Brussels, tell him the ethnic composition of Brussels was supposed to be?

4. What is the main impression Julius gives of the dream he has at the beginning of Chapter 10?

5. How much does Julius say he carries around his patients’ experiences and stories?

Short Essay Questions

1. What importance does Heliopolis hold, in the conversation between Julius and Dr. Maillotte?

2. What are Julius’ thoughts on the weather and global warming?

3. How does Julius explain his split with Nadège?

4. What does Julius contemplate doing when he thinks about his patient, M., at the boat basin behind the World Financial Center?

5. What is the style of the opening pages of Open City, and what kind of expectation do they set up in the reader?

6. What does Nadège’s limp make Julius think about, and what does it make him see about Nadège?

7. What are the advantages and disadvantages of Teju Cole’s internal, peripatetic style in Open City?

8. At the book's beginning, why does the narrator says that he goes for long walks?

9. Who is V. and what is her relationship with Julius?

10. How does Julius describe his encounter with the Czechoslovakian tourist he meets in the café?

(see the answer keys)

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