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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. At the beginning of Chapter Seven, what has Nxumalo been raised to believe about the chief of his tribe?
(a) That the chief is omnipotent.
(b) That the chief is incompetent.
(c) That the chief is a god.
(d) That whatever the chief says is law.

2. To what religion does Prince Henry of Portugal wish to convert Africa?
(a) Hinduism.
(b) Christianity.
(c) Buddhism.
(d) Islam.

3. Why do Seena Van Doorn and her daughter-in-law come into conflict?
(a) Rebecca is lazy.
(b) Rebecca is a hypochondriac and always feigning illness.
(c) Rebecca is very religious and considers Seena a blasphemer.
(d) Rebecca is arrogant.

4. Who inspires Hilary Saltwood to become a missionary?
(a) Simon Keer.
(b) Josiah Saltwood.
(c) John Calvin.
(d) Karel Van Doorn.

5. When Nxumalo gains the king's attention, what new job is he given?
(a) Dream interpreter.
(b) Supervision of the gold mines.
(c) Head scribe.
(d) Physician.

6. What does Gumsto suggest to help ensure the success of the San tribe's hunt when they are starving, in Chapter One?
(a) Using sacred arrows.
(b) Enlisting the help of lions.
(c) A special ritual to seek the gods' blessing.
(d) Burning the grass around the eland to trap it.

7. Which Saltwood goes to India with the army in Chapter Six?
(a) Richard.
(b) Josiah.
(c) Nicholas.
(d) Peter.

8. Who does Hilary Saltwood marry?
(a) Katje Van Doorn.
(b) A slave girl named Emma.
(c) Henrietta Madison.
(d) Louisa Kennedy.

9. What is Gao more skilled at than he is at hunting?
(a) Catching fish.
(b) Painting.
(c) Farming.
(d) Weaving cloth.

10. Why does Naoka initially reject Gao as a prospective husband?
(a) He hasn't yet killed an eland to prove his prowess at hunting.
(b) Her sister is in love with him.
(c) He's too bashful.
(d) He's too old for her.

11. Who establishes a fort at Malacca in 1511?
(a) Christopher Columbus.
(b) Prince Henry the Navigator.
(c) Afonso de Albuquerque.
(d) Vasco da Gama.

12. How old is Gumsto when he first appears in the novel?
(a) Forty-three.
(b) Twenty.
(c) Eighty.
(d) Fifteen.

13. Why does Nxumalo decide not to return to his home village after seeing Zimbabwe?
(a) The journey back home would be too perilous.
(b) He has fallen in love with a woman from Zimbabwe.
(c) He can make more money in Zimbabwe.
(d) Zimbabwe is more exciting than his village.

14. At the beginning of Chapter Seven, for what tribal problem does the diviner think Ndela is responsible?
(a) The drought over their land.
(b) The sickness of their cattle.
(c) The flooding of their land.
(d) The scarcity of game for them to hunt.

15. What tree do the burghers plant around the Dutch colony to protect their cattle and keep out the rest of Africa?
(a) An oak tree.
(b) A maple tree.
(c) An elm tree.
(d) A bitter almond tree.

Short Answer Questions

1. Which of Captain Saltwood's crew members does Willem Van Doorn befriend?

2. What does Nxumalo's father Ndela do to arouse the suspicion of the tribe's diviner?

3. At the beginning of Chapter One, what has caused the water of the lake to become brackish?

4. What does the Black Circuit commission investigate?

5. What is the Old Seeker's spear made out of in Chapter Two?

(see the answer keys)

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