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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 is Julius treating V. for?

2. How much vacation time does Julius use for his trip to Brussels?

3. What does Julius say he was sent to the Nigerian Military School to get?

4. Julius says that the world seems to fall under Obatala’s influence: what is Obatala responsible for?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. What kind of trip does Julius make to Brussels?

2. What is it about Coca-Cola that the younger Julius found so appealing?

3. What kind of person does Julius show himself to be in the taxi he gets home from American Folk Art Museum?

4. What are Farouq’s two projects?

5. How does Julius react to the waitress who brings him his coffee in the café in Grand Sablon?

6. What is the scene Julius remembers from Dr. Gupta’s house, while he is watching The Last King of Scotland?

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

8. What theme emerges in the clothing Julius notices on the people all around him in his wanderings through the city at the beginning of Chapter 4?

9. What is Julius’ relationship with his oma like?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Teju Cole’s novel Open City was published in 2011. How does it apply to today’s political and artistic world? What parts feel dated? What parts feel contemporary? What current cultural discussions can Open City contribute to? What does the novel say, in those conversations?

Essay Topic 2

The surprise revelation that Julius had raped Moji as a child puts the reader in the position of revising his or her estimation of Julius’ narrative, and revisit the narrative for evidence that would exonerate or condemn Julius. This basically constitutes a second reading of the book. How do you respond to this impetus? Do you want to go back and figure him out? Is Julius a puzzle you want to resolve? Or are there things about Julius or about the novel that make you hesitant or even unwilling to invest the work in figuring him out? What makes you want to figure him out? What makes you want to leave him and his mystery to themselves?

Essay Topic 3

Write a character sketch of the author based on his style and content. What can we tell about him, based on the choices he makes in terms of description, characterization and plot? What values does he hold dear? What are his hopes and fears? What kind of person do you think he is? Anchor your sketch with passages in the book.

(see the answer keys)

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