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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 is the narrator's state of mind at the opening of the book?
(a) Distraught.
(b) Happy.
(c) Angry.
(d) Depressed.

2. What is one secret revealed about the deceased?
(a) He had serious financial problems.
(b) He had two other wives secretly.
(c) He never believed in the Koran.
(d) He loved to travel to America.

3. How does the narrator feel about Modou taking a second wife?
(a) Betrayed.
(b) Indifferent since she is the first and most important wife.
(c) She does not know he did so.
(d) Glad to have someone to share household chores.

4. According to the narrator, what is the purpose of teaching?
(a) To shape young people's minds.
(b) To influence the next generation of men.
(c) To get out of household chores.
(d) To earn an above-average salary.

5. How does Aissatou respond to Mawdo's taking a second wife under pressure from his mother?
(a) She kills herself.
(b) She agrees to the arrangement, but the second wife is not allowed in Aissatou's home.
(c) She is excited for help in the household.
(d) She takes her four sons and moves to the United States.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why is the narrator upset about the donations from the people?

2. Which wife receives the most money?

3. When did the narrator realize that Modou was the man for her for life?

4. Who suffers a heart attack?

5. What keeps Mawdo busy as a physician?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the irony in the marriage offer from Dauoda?

2. Why is Mawdo's life as a physician successful and what are the implications of this?

3. What contributed to Modou's success in his work environment?

4. Describe the process of "making donations." How does the narrator feel about this process?

5. What is the response to the taking down of the hair by each wife?

6. What did Lady Mother-in-Law bring up at the mirasse and with what result?

7. Describe the narrator's living situation.

8. What is a possible reason the narrator's first name is revealed in chapter 19?

9. What is Mawdo Bw's attitude towards his marriage and father-in-law?

10. Compare and contrast the second marriages of Mawdo and Modou.

(see the answer keys)

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