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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. To what country does the novel not claim that Sissie has been?

2. Who cries at de Gaulle's death?

3. What kind of cake does Marija make for Sissie?

4. What are the chairs in Marija's house like?

5. What does Marija tell Sissie is in Munich?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who does Marija say might one day visit Africa?

2. Where does Sissie stay in London?

3. What does Part 2: "The Plums" say about education?

4. What country other than Ghana does Sissie tell Marija she has visited?

5. What type of cake does Marija bake for Sissie?

6. What does Part 2: "The Plums" say about love?

7. What is the name of the relative of Sissie's West African friend whom she meets?

8. According to a poem in Part 2: "The Plums," what shape are the women that men marry?

9. How many children does Sissie's mother have?

10. What beverage does Marija offer Sissie in Part 2: "The Plums?"

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay in which you argue the relative merits of African students returning to Africa and remaining in Europe. In your essay, use evidence from the text (particularly Part 4: A Love Letter), and choose either the point of view of Sissie or of the African doctor quoted in her letter. Be sure to consider the opposite point of view, and use evidence from the text to support your answer.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay in which you analyze how the author presents food in the novel. What does Sissie think of the food she encounters in her travels? How is food representative of a culture? Consider the various ways in which the author uses food as a recurring theme, and try to adduce evidence from several of the novel's sections.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay explaining why SIssie is uncomfortable in the west. What people, things, customs, or attitudes make Sissie insistent on going back to Africa? You may also evaluate Sissie's opinion from your own point of view. Use evidence from the text to support your answer.

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