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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 car manufacturing plant did Styles originally work for?

2. How long did Styles say the owner of the car manufacturing plant stay at the plant?

3. What type of speech did the car manufacturer owner want to give to the employees?

4. What is the name of the man with whom Styles first interacts?

5. What is the first customer that Styles describes coming into the shop for a picture?

Short Essay Questions

1. 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?

2. Why, after Sizwe asks Buntu how long it will "last," does Buntu suddenly says he's tired, bid goodnight to Robert and leave?

3. How do Styles' mannerisms and outward thoughts affect the audience's understanding of Styles' life views?

4. What is the playwright implying about the fact that "Robert" was still unsuccessful working with Zola?

5. How does Buntu both protest against and sympathize with Sizwe in Part 3?

6. Of what significance is Robert turning out to introduce himself to Buntu as Sizwe Banzi?

7. What is the significance of the kitten's name?

8. How is the name "Doom" significant in Styles' story about the cockroach problem?

9. How does this section of the play give us more information about the circumstances under which black people lived under Apartheid?

10. What is the passbook a symbol of?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the effect of having Styles and Buntu played by the same actor. What parallels and contrasts are there between the two characters, and how are they significant to the play as a whole?

Essay Topic 2

Explore the ways the playwright uses unseen characters such as Sizwe's wife, Noweto, and Zola to suggest aspects of the main characters' lives outside of the action on stage. In your answer, take note of the fact that there are no white characters mentioned in the play, only the general authority they hold over blacks in South Africa.

Essay Topic 3

Buntu and Sizwe Banzi have highly contrasting beliefs about themselves, their place in society as black men and the options available to them. Explore the ways the author uses this contrast as a root for dramatic conflict in the play.

(see the answer keys)

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