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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 does Rachel tolerate in Africa that she would not have at home?

2. What does Leah picture as her future career?

3. Where does the family put the only mirror?

4. The tone of Book 1 is one of what?

5. The Prices think that who was attacked by a lion?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Why do the Underdowns come to Kilanga? How does Nathan respond?

3. Where do Nathan and Leah go in Book 2? What do they see?

4. What was life like in the Congo for Orleanna?

5. How did Orleanna meet Nathan? How did their relationship change?

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

7. Book 2 opens with a startling revelation about the Price family. What does the Orleanna say is going to happen to the family? What do you think will happen in the rest of the book to make this come true?

8. How does Orleanna survive in the Congo amid all the hard work?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

Kingsolver narrates the novel through five characters. How does she make the characters sound and feel different? What effect does the five narrators have on the novel? Why do you think Kingsolver used this device in the novel? What unique insights does each character give about the Congo, the family, or other aspects of the novel?

Essay Topic 3

What are the similarities between the Prices' marriage and the relationship of the Belgians to the Congo? What do you think Nathan and the Belgians should have done differently?

(see the answer keys)

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