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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 creatures did Crawford say were shy?

2. What was Sammy's ethnic mix?

3. What birds did Crawford and Elspeth observe doing a mating ritual?

4. With what did the natives think the Europeans created light at night?

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

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

5. What did Lettice Palmer find most disturbing about Africa and what was she most concerned about for herself and fellow Europeans?

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

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

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

9. How did Mrs. Nimmo react to the wild New Year's party?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

Elspeth Huxley described in detail the process of leaving Thika to return to England during the war. Write an essay describing the attitudes displayed by both the natives and the European settlers as the war descended. How were people on each side of the cultural divide affected by their experiences? How did the natives view the Huxley family?

Essay Topic 3

Lettice Palmer expressed fear about the potential for the Europeans' work in Africa to disappear without a trace, much as the ancient Africans' work had disappeared. Was it fair for the Europeans to say that the Africans had failed to put a permanent mark on the land? Are city and temple ruins necessary to prove that a great culture once existed? Why would the ancient African cultures failed to have left behind permanent physical proof of their achievements? Why is it more difficult to find out about ancient cultures when there is a lack of ruins? Do Africans and Europeans have a similar reverence for oral tradition and history?

(see the answer keys)

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