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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. Which baby does Orleanna think overtakes the mother?

2. What does Tata Ndu want from the Prices?

3. How did Orleanna stay alive after Ruth May's death?

4. What does Leah wish that she could give to her father?

5. What does the old woman give to Mother?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Tata Ndu want from the family in Book 3? How does the family respond?

2. What happens during the big hunt?

3. What does Orleanna do after Ruth May's death? Why does she do this?

4. Who is Brother Fowles? How is he different from Nathan?

5. Why does Rachel think that she can't go back to the United States now?

6. What do you think Kingsolver means when she has the woman in the market say that there has never been a village past Bulungu and that she doesn't know of anywhere called Kilanga?

7. Orleanna characterizes Nathan as someone who stands still. What does she mean by this?

8. What does Nelson give to Ruth May? What does he tell her to do with it?

9. What happens to Rachel in her life? Do you think she is happy?

10. What regrets does Orleanna voice about her family and the situation in the Congo?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

Essay Topic 2

Trace the development and changes in Leah's relationship with her father throughout the novel. How does Leah feel about her father in the beginning of the novel? When do her feelings toward him start to change? How does she end up feeling about and relating to Nathan?

Essay Topic 3

In The Poisonwood Bible, Orleanna's narrative looks back in time, while the other characters narrate from the present.

1) Why do you think Kingsolver included one narrative that looks back in time?

2) What does this type of narration add to the novel?

3) Why do you think Orleanna's character is the one looking back?

(see the answer keys)

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