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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. Who is Biakadon?

2. Who is the woman, once beautiful, now covered in mud, weeping and wailing in grief?

3. Who is the first patriarch in the Sawi tribe to convert to Christianity?

4. Why is Richardson shocked by the dead man Warahai's condition?

5. What does Richardson build after five years among the Sawi to replace his small thatchbox home?

Short Essay Questions

1. How do the Sawi people know that Warahai's soul has left his body?

2. What does Richardson promise to teach the Sawi Christians?

3. When the Richardsons inform the Sawi leaders that they will be moving, what surprising response do they receive?

4. What does Richardson see in the ritual of the Sawi peace child which gives him hope about sharing his Christian message with the villagers?

5. What does Mahaen think the underlying reason for "gefam asan" is?

6. Why is the arrival of Hurip, the injured Kayagar, such a challenge?

7. What does "my liver trembles" mean in the Sawi idiom?

8. What are the four levels of despair in the Sawi ritual of "gefam asan"?

9. What surprises Richardson about the Sawi language?

10. Who is God's "Tarop"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The world of the Sawi people is very complex and based upon survival needs and a strong structure of family and tribal identity. Write an essay describing some aspect of the complexity that underlies what might seem like a simple hunter/gatherer society. For instance, Richardson finds that the language itself is very sophisticated and nuanced. The system of protection that family ties offer, for instance mother-in-law bonds, is both unique and imaginative. There is symbolism in the clothing, jewelry, and other items that the tribespeople own. Chose some aspect of the Sawi culture and show how there is an underlying sophistication to what might seem "primitive."

Essay Topic 2

The interaction between the stone age and modern culture is a rare event. The drama of this story is the stunning clash of two worlds. What events in the book most dramatically reveal the strangeness between Tuan/Sawi? The plane? The boat? Selling of a child for an ax? The killing of Yao? The rituals? The cannibalism? Chose three of the most significant and dramatic events and describe them. What is it about these three events which clarify the deep differences between these two cultures?

Essay Topic 3

The shift of government from the remote Dutch authorities to the more present Indonesian authorities brings tremendous change to the Sawi people. What does Richardson say about that change? How and why is that change so dramatic?

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