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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 happens after the Independence in the Price household?

2. Where does Mr. Axelroot live?

3. What does Leah picture as her future career?

4. Who comes for dinner at the Price's house?

5. How much money does the family receive as a stipend each month?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens in Book 2 that makes the Price family and the villagers think that Adah has died? What really happened?

2. How does the relationship between the Price girls and the village children change in Book 2?

3. What does Rachel think about the Congo on the day of the church picnic? How is she different than the people in the Congo?

4. What does Nathan want to happen on the day of the church picnic? Does this happen? Why or why not?

5. What is the Price house like? How is it different than other houses in the village?

6. How is Adah different than the rest of her family?

7. What does Nathan Price's opinion of women seem to be based on the events and narration in Book 1?

8. In Book 1, Orleanna says, "Married to a man who would never love her, she stays his wife because it was what she can do." What do you think she means by this?

9. Who is Mama Tataba? What does she try to help Nathan with? What does he do with her advice?

10. Who is Nelson? Why does Anatole send Nelson to live with the Prices?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Nathan Price can be viewed as a symbol of colonial oppression. Discuss the similarities and differences between Nathan's treatment of the villagers in Kilanga and the Belgium's treatment of the Congo. How does Nathan illustrate the racial tension and intolerance that was often practiced in Africa by colonial powers?

Essay Topic 2

A number of symbols are used within the novel. Choose one symbol and answer the following?

1) What is the symbol and what does it represent?

2) How does Kingsolver use the symbol in the novel?

3) Trace the symbol through the novel and note when it appears.

Essay Topic 3

Kingsolver explores the themes of freedom and captivity in the novel. Where can these themes be seen in the novel (family, village, country)? What are the prices that freedom and captivity come with in the novel for the Congo and various characters?

(see the answer keys)

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