View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What natural phenomenon did Tilly and Ian comment on at the end of Chapter 12?

2. How did Kupanya lift the curse?

3. Where did Lettice sometimes talk of moving to?

4. What did Lettice say Hugh suffered from while she was away?

5. What did Mrs. Nimmo add to Elspeth's list of required subjects?

Short Essay Questions

1. What did the Kikuyu do to preserve memories of the dead?

2. Why did Robin agree with the Italian priests in their refusal to baptize or help Njombo?

3. In what ways did Elspeth find the siafu (warrior ants) the most frightening and mysterious of Africa's creatures?

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

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

6. Why did the District Commissioner find it difficult to keep locals out of the prison?

7. How did Ian describe Ahmed's people (Somalis), whom he had lived among before coming to Africa?

8. How did Elspeth use the imagery of the kitchen beaters to convey the sense that Europeans and Africans were living in parallel worlds?

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

10. How did the Palmer's house differ from the Huxley's residence?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 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

Among the motivations for coming to Africa, mentioned by some of the settlers, was a desire to "bring civilization" to the locals. What exactly did they mean by that? Were they interested in bringing technologies and scientific advancements, or were they interested in more fundamental cultural changes (such as religion, government, etc.)? In what ways did the Africans benefit from some of the things brought by the Europeans? In what ways would their cultures have suffered irreversible damage? Were there things the Africans could have taught the Europeans had they been more open-minded? Is it ever possible to share advanced technologies with another culture without damaging that culture?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,125 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample