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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 does Nnaife say to Oshia as they argue about the fact that Oshia does not help the family financially?

2. What does Mama Abby help Nnu Ego do with the money Nnaife sends her?

3. How does Adim manage to stop his father from hurting anyone else at the butcher's house?

4. Where does Ubani help Nnaife find work in Chapter 10 and what work does he get?

5. Whose son does Kehinde tell her father she wants to marry?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the scene when Adaku's cousin visits while she is still at the market.

2. What do Adaku and Nnu Ego do when Nnaife does not return home at the end of Chapter 11?

3. What does Nnu Ego think will happen when Oshia completes school? Why does Adim think this may not be the case?

4. What does Adaku decide she is going to do after the meeting with Ubani and Nwakusor?

5. Which of Nnaife's brother's wives moves to Lagos? What is she like when she first arrives?

6. What does Adaku realize her position in the house is after the meeting with Ubani and Nwakusor?

7. Where does Nnaife move his family to when Lagos becomes too expensive? In what ways is this place different than their life in Lagos?

8. Why does Nnaife go to Ibuza to marry Adankwo when he returns to the army? What happens when he is there? Who does he return to Lagos with and why?

9. What are the contents of the package Nnu Ego receives at the barracks in Chapter 15?

10. What do Ubani and Oshia discuss regarding the changes in Nigeria when they come to celebrate Oshia's education accomplishments?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Examine the theme of tradition versus modernization in The Joys of Motherhood. How is Ibuza tradition challenged in the story? How does this impact the characters and themes of womanhood and motherhood?

Essay Topic 2

Write a detailed analysis of tone in Emecheta's The Joys of Motherhood. Include whether the tone changes or remains the same. If it changes, include details on when, why and whether this change is effective.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the elements of narrative structure in The Joys of Motherhood: Exposition, conflict, complication, climax, resolution and conclusion. Do all the elements make for a logical and linear story? How does the story's structure express the novel's themes of motherhood, womanhood, education and/ or poverty?

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