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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 Dr. Maillotte’s connection with Eduoard Empain, who built Heliopolis in Egypt?

2. What did Julius get a reputation for, after the affair of Musibau’s stolen newspaper, at the military school?

3. What is Julius’ field of practice?

4. What question does Julius say he wakes up with, from his dream at the start of Chapter 10?

5. What does Dr. Maillotte say the actual ethnic composition of Brussels is?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Julius say he ended up at the Nigerian Military School, when his father was not a soldier?

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

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

4. How does Farouq surprise Julius?

5. How does Julius explain his split with Nadège?

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

7. Who does Julius imagine he sees, as he enters Brussels?

8. What stereotype does Dr. Maillotte, the woman who sits next to Julius on the plane to Brussels, hold about Nigerians, and how does Julius respond to her cast-typing?

9. How does the incident in which Musibau accused Julius of stealing his paper ultimately work in Julius’ favor?

10. 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?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Where is the climax of this book? Are there different climaxes? What questions does each climax resolve? What questions does each climax leave unanswered?

Essay Topic 2

The biographical information says that Teju Cole is a “writer, photographer and professional historian of early Netherlandish art” (263). How do these other disciplines affect this novel? What does this book have in common with photography? What kind of photography in particular? What does this book have in common with Dutch art, or the discipline of art history?

Essay Topic 3

Write an evaluative review of Open City. What is this book’s place in our culture? Who will find this book most useful? What are its uses? What are its limitations?

(see the answer keys)

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