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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. What had a girl named Hadiya told Selam at school one day?
(a) A certain boy liked her.
(b) She should join the choir.
(c) She could tutor her.
(d) Hamburger is pork.

2. What is the setting of the story?
(a) Ethiopia.
(b) Sardinia.
(c) Nairobi.
(d) Nigeria.

3. This story is told from which point of view?
(a) Third person omniscient.
(b) First person narrative.
(c) Second person narrative.
(d) Third person narrative.

4. What does the narrator note about the streets outside the apartment?
(a) They are empty.
(b) They are wet.
(c) They are filled with people.
(d) They have oil spots.

5. What does the soldier carry onto the bus?
(a) A set of golf clubs.
(b) A Bible.
(c) A dog.
(d) A machete.

Short Answer Questions

1. Jubril was baptized into which religion?

2. Whom does Jubril ask to come on the bus to settle the matter about his seat?

3. What is an emir?

4. Emeka points out Jubril as being a ______________.

5. Selam's parents have given her permission to eat ___________________.

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

4. What is the unifying thread of the conflicts in the story?

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

6. What does the Chief signify in the story?

7. How do the narrator and Selam find a way to communicate with each other when they are not allowed to play together?

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

9. What is at the base of all the trivial conflicts in the story?

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

(see the answer keys)

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