View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why was the owner of the car manufacturer plant unable to give the speech he wanted to give?

2. What did Styles realized was infested with cockroaches?

3. What does Styles call his photography room?

4. When Styles takes the second photograph for Zwelinzima, what happens him?

5. What animal did Styles get to catch cockroaches?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Buntu become calmer when telling Sizwe he's married with a child and sympathizes with his desire to improve himself?

2. In what way does Style's story about the Ford plant speech show that he was an enterprising personality even before he had his own business?

3. Are Sizwe's and Buntu's reactions to finding the dead body the same? Explain your answer.

4. In Part 4, how is it revealed that Sizwe has already taken on the dead man's identity?

5. Why does Buntu tell Sizwe the story of Jacob, a man who recently died?

6. How does Styles transform Robert's attitude in Part 2?

7. What can one say about the significance of Sizwe finally signing his real name at the end of his letter to Noweto?

8. Why does Buntu's mood change at the end of Part 3?

9. Describe the way Buntu's mood abruptly changes at the end of Part 3, and what he decides to do as a result.

10. How do Styles' three stories also paint a clear picture of the living situation of black workers in South Africa in the time of Apartheid?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How, in Part 1 of the play, does the playwright use metaphor to show the living situation of black workers in Apartheid-era South Africa? Make reference to the stories of a) Styles' job at the Ford plant and Henry Ford Jr's visit, and b) The 'Doom' insect spray and the cat.

Essay Topic 2

The passbook is a powerful metaphor for racism and white power. Discuss its effect on the lives of the different characters in the play.

Essay Topic 3

What narrative devices does the playwright use to paint a vivid picture of frustration and persecution in the black community under Apartheid?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,215 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample