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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. How does Camara's father react when he tells him about his plans to study abroad?

2. What is the long tunic that reaches to the heels but is split up the sides called?

3. What has happened to Camara's school when he returns to it?

4. What do the guests shower the boys with during the circumcision ceremony?

5. What will most boys become in the future?

Short Essay Questions

1. What do the guests of the circumcision ceremony do to the teenage boys and how is this manifested to Camara? What is his reaction?

2. What happens when Camara and his father go to talk to Camara's mother again, hoping to convince her to let Camara finish his studies in Paris?

3. What happens at the airport and on the plane to France?

4. At the end of Camara's third year of school, he takes his proficiency examinations. Describe what happens.

5. How do the boys spend the rest of the night of their rite of passage after the roaring ceases, and how does it end?

6. What happens during the first year Camara is supposed to attend school in Conakry?

7. When Camara returns to Conakry in October, what does he find out about the Technical College, the school he attended the year before?

8. What does the director of the Technical College ask Camara before he leaves Conakry upon successfully completing his exams, and what is Camara's reaction?

9. Describe the character of Marie.

10. What happens on the way to and at the train station before fifteen year old Camara sets off to Conakry?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

One day Camara finds a little black snake with a strikingly marked body. This snake is special and plays an important role in the first chapters of "The Dark Child." What is the role of this snake in the family? How did he become important? What does his presence mean to the different main characters? Relate this snake's significance to the community, to Camara, to his mother, and to his father? How does the snake add to Camara's father's influence and status in the community? How is the snake involved in the work environment of Camara's father? Support your answers with examples from the book.

Essay Topic 2

The character of the praise-singer is mentioned in a few chapters of the "The Dark Child." What is a praise-singer? What is his role towards the community? When is he important? Explore his presence throughout the book; describe his tasks, influence and attitude. Compare/contrast his appearances in the different chapters.

Essay Topic 3

How does Camara get treated by his grandmother when he visits her in Tindican? Describe her affection and routines towards Camara. How does Camara react to this treatment? What does his grandmother's behavior tell you about their relationship? Compare/contrast Camara's grandmother's behavior towards him throughout the book. Does it change? How does it evolve?

(see the answer keys)

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