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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. In Chapter Ten, how does Vivek say he felt his whole life?

2. How does Mary justify what her church did to Vivek when speaking with Kavita?

3. What does Osita hear about Vivek in Chapter Seven that alarms him?

4. Who tells Vivek his grandmother died on the same day he was born?

5. What does Vivek sometimes call Osita as a term of affection?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens when Vivek goes to Mary's church in Part II?

2. What does Vivek ask of Osita in Part I that is quite unusual and unsettling?

3. How does Vivek get bruises and bumps often in Part I?

4. In Part II, what kind of problems are Kavita and Chika having with Vivek?

5. Who comes to visit Vivek in Part II and how do these people help him?

6. Why does Kavita come to find Osita when he disappears for several weeks following Vivek's death?

7. Why does Osita start spending much more time at home in Part II?

8. What does Maja's marital problem reveal about cultural attitudes towards women Nigeria?

9. What illness does Osita realize Vivek suffers from in Part I?

10. What is one reason for Chika's and Kavita's growing apart in their marriage?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does Kavita try to discover the truth about Vivek's death, and do you think she ever receives a version of it that is close enough to the real events to call it the truth? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 2

How do each of Vivek's friends, aside from Osita - Elizabeth, Juju, Olunne, and Somto - justify their decision not to tell Kavita the truth about Vivek for so long, until months after his death? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay exploring how Mary, Ekene's wife and Chika's friend, changes over the course of the novel, citing specific references to the text to help support your answers.

(see the answer keys)

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