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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In what country does the story take place?
(a) Ethiopia.
(b) Nigeria.
(c) Kenya.
(d) Nairobi.

2. What does a nosy woman on the bus ask Jubril?
(a) Why he is not in school.
(b) Why his hair is so long.
(c) Why he is traveling alone.
(d) Why he isn't watching TV.

3. What does the narrator do when she first sees Selam at her apartment?
(a) She closes the drapes.
(b) She yells at her.
(c) She stares at her.
(d) She throws her some candy.

4. Whom does Jubril ask to come on the bus to settle the matter about his seat?
(a) The police.
(b) A city official.
(c) A priest.
(d) The bus terminal manager.

5. What was Jubril's punishment for stealing a goat?
(a) He had to pay for the goat.
(b) His hand was amputated.
(c) He is banished from his village.
(d) He spent six weeks in prison.

Short Answer Questions

1. Two people who share a close bond are able to _________________________.

2. What is the narrator looking for at Selam's apartment building?

3. The chief orders the passengers on the bus to not mention the word ________________ on the trip.

4. The narrator's parents no longer want her to play with whom?

5. How many days does the narrator watch Selam's apartment building?

Short Essay Questions

1. What ban by the Nigerian government takes place just prior to the opening of the story, "Luxurious Hearses"?

2. What is the core source of all the violence that takes place in the story?

3. Who are the narrator and Selam and what is their relationship?

4. Why are the passengers on the bus infused with a sense of urgency?

5. Who is Hadiya and how does she impact the relationship between the narrator and Selam?

6. What does the narrator do during the days after being restricted from playing with Selam?

7. What is notable about the story "What Language is That?"

8. What is the main point of the story, "What Language is That"?

9. How do the policemen who take the sick man off the bus represent the corruption that exists in the country?

10. How is the story, "What Language is That"? different from the other stories in this book?

(see the answer keys)

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