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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 had the missionaries and the Government convinced the Kikuyu to adopt?

2. Where was Mr. Nimmo allegedly detained on business?

3. What did Elspeth receive as a gift at the New Year's party?

4. What country did Mrs. Palmer like the best?

5. What items did Mrs. Palmer say would need their own stable?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did Mrs. Palmer react to the condition of the man who was attacked and murdered on her property?

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

3. Why was Tilly so overwhelmed by Africa in the first few weeks in Thika?

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

5. What kind of person did Ian Crawford appear to be?

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

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

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

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

10. What happened to Njombo after he killed the man on the Palmer's property?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In the early chapters, Robin Huxley attracted the attention of the natives with his burning lamp, which the fascinated locals assumed was magical. What is the difference between magic and science for people not exposed to advanced technologies? Did a belief in magic and spirits slow down the natives' development of their own technologies? Would it slow down their acceptance and adoption of other peoples' technologies? Do the people with advanced technologies retain any beliefs in magic or spirits or does technology suppress those beliefs?

Essay Topic 2

After Njombo killed a man in a fight, he had to pay a blood price to the victim's family in the form of goats. Write an essay discussing this method of justice. How did this system help keep the peace for the locals? How did the natives maintain peace and order (they were also known not to steal from one another) if there was no threat of arrest or prison? Why was Hereward Palmer determined to introduce Western-style justice to Africa? How would a trial and prison have affected both Njombo and the tribe as a whole? Can there be different cultural approaches to justice? Or is justice black and white?

Essay Topic 3

Elspeth, despite her European heritage, sincerely believed that a charm would protect her duiker, Twinkle. In what ways did her belief illustrate how her upbringing was becoming essentially African? Why was she more open to the notion of protective charms than the adults around her? Was she doing a better job adapting to local traditions and belief-systems?

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