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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. Why were the Orams leaving Ruiri?

2. How did Captain Palmer plan to build his house?

3. Why did Mr. Roos kick Sammy?

4. What are siafu?

5. What did the natives take after negotiating payment for work?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did the differences between Mrs. Nimmo and Tilly come through in their first meeting?

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

3. What was Lettice Palmer's first reaction to the health conditions in Africa?

4. How did Robin and Kupanya differ in their approach to negotiating the terms of a workers' contract?

5. What became of Tilly's initial attempt to "preserve an appearance of leisured elegance"?

6. Why did Elspeth get upset at the end of Crawford's story about the whydah birds?

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

8. How did Elsepth Huxley describe the smell of Africa?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Njombo was accused by Sammy of causing the death of his third wife and the maiming of his son. In response, Sammy places a curse on Njombo, which very nearly kills him. Write an essay explaining why a firm belief in the power of curses could actually lead to someone's death. Would Njombo had survived if the chief had not arranged for the curse to be lifted? How powerful is the human mind when it comes to health? Why were the Europeans determined to save Njombo by focusing on the curse rather than using Western medicine?

Essay Topic 2

The Huxleys encountered two "foreign" concepts in marriage during their stay in Africa--the notion of a "bride-price" paid to the prospective bride's family, and polygamy. Discuss how these two practices could have impacted the society in Thika. What would have been accomplished by Njombo paying a family for a bride? Why was he not allowed to marry her without sufficient goats to give? Did the woman appear to have any say in the matter? How did the multiple wives live? What were the European attitudes toward these practices?

Essay Topic 3

Lettice Palmer appeared to change in personality following the death of Ian. Write an essay describing how his death affected her. Why did she tell Elspeth that Africa was a cruel place and that nobody cared? What did her future appear to be?

(see the answer keys)

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