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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 did Hereward dismiss the Dutch hunting skills?

2. What did the villagers do after Sammy's new wife died?

3. Who was injured in the blasting cap accident?

4. What was Elspeth expected to memorize while the adults were on safari?

5. What did mission-boys wear as a mark of their status?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

5. Why did Lettice elope with Hereward?

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

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

8. How did the adults try to comfort Elspeth when she could not go on the safari, and did it work?

9. How did Elspeth view the planned hunt versus the actual hunt?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

There are many interesting observations about men and women in the book. In various encounters, some of the natives are practically naked, which seems to offend the European men more than the European women. In addition, the African women often work much harder than their men and Ian said that African men were appalled at the level of freedom European women had. Write an essay outlining the different attitudes toward gender roles displayed by the Africans and the Europeans. Did either culture seem to have a better belief system? Did either side tolerate the others' beliefs? Was there room for compromise or were the two world-views too far apart to bridge?

Essay Topic 2

Early in the book, Robin Huxley had a confrontation with the locals over the way he wanted his family's house built. Why was Robin so determined to recreate an English-style house in Africa? Why were the Africans so opposed to some of Robin's ideas? In what ways would adopting the local customs make it easier to settle in to a new area? Is it always advisable, or even possible, to recreate a certain lifestyle in a foreign land? What are the benefits of adopting the local traditions? Do you think Robin and the other Europeans were concerned about losing their European identity if they adopted too many local customs?

Essay Topic 3

Despite his lack of success in a number of endeavors, Robin Huxley continued dreaming of fortune and moved his family to Africa in his latest attempt. At one point, Robin and Tilly have an interesting exchange about other settlers, debating whether they are romantics or fools. Based on Robin's behavior, which category did he belong in? Were his dreams realistic or was he pursuing a pipe dream? Is there in fact a big difference between a romantic and a fool?

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This section contains 1,182 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample