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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. At what time did Elspeth's lessons begin in Chapter 20?

2. What was the only common element in the different styles of traps built for leopards?

3. What did Hereward ask Robin for help in moving?

4. With whom did Elspeth stay during the safari?

5. How many princes had been blinded by the Abyssinian emperor?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did Lettice Palmer view Hereward's desperate attempts to impose discipline on his workers?

2. Describe how Elspeth viewed the dead leopard.

3. How did the Kikuyu and Masai differ in their approaches to hunting?

4. Why did the Kikuyu distrust hyenas?

5. How did the Kikuyu deal with the suffering of animals?

6. How did the other Europeans and the Kikuyu feel about the Italian priests at the mission?

7. Why were the other adults so upset at Mr. Roos for trapping the leopard?

8. Why was Lettice convinced that she brought disaster on her loved ones?

9. How did Ian justify the brutality of the Abyssinian leaders he encountered before coming to Africa?

10. Why did Hereward express a willingness to die in a violent storm?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

Essay Topic 2

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?

Essay Topic 3

While riding to Londiani, Dirk told Elspeth a detailed story about the arduous trek taken by his Boer family to their new home. Write an essay describing how these experiences influenced Dirk's behavior as an adult. Was his upbringing in a self-sufficient environment a factor in his willing abandonment of Elspeth? Was he bitter toward the English? Did he seem to have any regard for the natives? How did Dirk compare to the other Dutchman encountered in the book, Mr. Roos?

(see the answer keys)

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