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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. What eventually attracted the attention of the natives?

2. Who was given the nickname Bad Hat?

3. What game did Mrs. Palmer play with Tilly to get her mind off the dying man?

4. Why was Tilly upset about Roger Stilbeck's letter?

5. What crop did Stilbeck insist would be easy to grow on the farm?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the personalities of Mr. and Mrs. Oram.

2. Why was Robin having a difficult time with the oxen?

3. Describe the relationship the Kikuyu had with their surroundings.

4. Why did Mrs. Palmer tell Elspeth Huxley that she should get two of any animal she wished to keep as a pet?

5. How did Juma view the local inhabitants outside of Nairobi?

6. Why were the natives so fascinated by the lamp, but did not care about the gramophone?

7. Briefly describe Elspeth's education in Africa.

8. What were the Huxley's first impressions upon seeing the land that they had bought?

9. What did the Masai consider the greatest glory of mankind?

10. How did Huxley describe the Kikuyu attitude toward theft?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

There is a high-spirited debate between Hereward and Robin about the difference between a bribe and a tip. The Europeans were taught to reject bribery, while bribery was essential to running many African colonies. What are the essential differences between bribes and tips? Is it simply a matter of timing? Were the Europeans making it difficult for themselves by refusing bribes? Could they have made their lives easier by adopting the local customs and accepting the use of bribes instead of tips?

Essay Topic 2

Settler Alec Wilson was determined to learn everything about farming in Africa through textbooks and governmental reports. Elspeth, on the other hand, was for the most part avoiding book learning and creating her own African education through activities and exploration. Write an essay comparing and contrasting these styles of "education." Are there certain subjects that can best be learned through books? Are there others that can best be tackled through actually doing them? In what ways did Wilson's approach illustrate a European approach to education and in what ways did Elspeth's education reflect that of the African children, who did not attend schools? Would book-learning help Wilson in Africa and would hands-on learning help Elspeth once she went back to England?

Essay Topic 3

Elspeth Huxley at one point said that the natives never stole from one another, but did not seem to have any qualms about stealing from the Europeans. Why was this the case? What forces prompted the natives to avoid stealing from one another? How did they seem to view the Europeans and why would they be willing to steal from them? Did they view the Europeans as neighbors and fellow villagers or as something else entirely?

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