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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. For Sissie, what do desserts represent?

2. How much does it cost to make a baby boy?

3. Where does Sissie take her plane from?

4. What does the novel claim about the English language?

5. How does Marija soften her plums?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Sissie's father's position?

2. How does Sissie describe the color of the individuals in Germany?

3. In what city in Germany does Sissie's plane first arrive?

4. Where does Sissie volunteer in Bavaria?

5. Who orders breakfast for Sissie in Frankfurt?

6. Where does Big Adolph work?

7. How does the poetic cycle in Part 2: "The Plums" claim that rulers gather their wealth?

8. What does the narrator claim that power decides?

9. What is the African name featured in Part 2: "The Plums?"

10. How does the woman in the train station in Frankfurt refer to her Sissie when speaking to her daughter?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay analyzing the foreign language terms, including any racial slurs, used within the novel. In your essay, consider why the author might use foreign languages within the text, and whether foreign languages are used to a similar effect or different effects in various sections. In your essay, cite specific examples of terms used in making your argument.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay in which you address the significance of language in the novel. What language does Sissie speak? What is(/are) the official language(s) of Ghana? What does Sissie think about the English language? Is language related to power, as demonstrated in the novel? Use evidence from the text to support your answer.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay about the heart transplant described by Kunle in Part 3: From Our Sister Killjoy. What are the details of this operation as it is presented in the text, and what are the various characters' reactions? In particular, how does Kunle's perspective differ from Sissie's? You may also discuss your own perspective on the operation, but, as always, please use evidence from the text to support your response.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 492 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample