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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 the third level of despair?

2. What do the Sawi people call Jesus?

3. What is the fourth level of despair?

4. In 1963 who does the Dutch government begin to give control of the Netherlands New Guinea to?

5. What insult is hurtled at a Haenam youth which almost starts a serious battle?

Short Essay Questions

1. What do the Richardsons conclude about the ongoing violence which they face amid the combined Sawi village communities?

2. When Don Richardson shares the story of Jesus with the Sawi men, what is their reaction?

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

4. What ritual do the Sawi villagers engage in which inspires the title of this book?

5. What have the Sawi built in the time after modern life and Christianity have come to them?

6. In Chapter 24, what does Richardson organize and describe that would have been impossible when he first arrived?

7. A Sawi woman dies in childbirth along with the twins that she gives birth to. What do the Sawi believe about twins?

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

9. Who is Biakadon?

10. What does the phrase "cool water" mean in the Sawi language?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The Sawi language is multi-layered, very complex, poetic, and sophisticated. Why would such a language arise from a culture that has no written language? Or is the fact that the Sawi do not have a written language part of the reason that the verbal language has become so sophisticated? Is their remoteness an asset in terms of language development? Has it given them time to develop a more pure and complicated way to communicate? Or is it the fact that they are such an ancient culture? Richardson struggles with understanding how such a language could come from the Sawi people. What are his thoughts and observations about the Sawi language?

Essay Topic 2

It takes a great deal of intelligence to survive in the jungle without modern technology. Yet we often describe cultures like the Sawi tribe as "primitive." What is the difference between the kind of intelligence it takes for a Sawi family to survive in a stone age civilization and the kind of intelligence it takes to graduate from an American university? Are there different kinds of knowledge? Is a Sawi person more observant than the typical American student or less? How would a modern American student fare if set in the jungle with stone tools? How would a Sawi person do in high school or college? Write an essay contemplating Sawi intelligence.

Essay Topic 3

The author believes that remote tribes such as the Sawi should be contacted. Why does he believe this? Is it simply for reasons of conversion? What does the author believe is inevitable for these remote people? Why does he feel justified in the being "first contact" for these ancient cultures?

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