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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. To whom does Sadiku pray on Sidi's behalf?

2. Whom does Baroka call "the queen of them all" (31)?

3. Near the end of "Noon," what does Sadiku say that angers Baroka?

4. While Sadiku tickles and rubs his feet, what does Baroka do?

5. When Lakunle calls Sidi, "My Ruth, my Rachel, Esther, Bathsheba," (20), whom is he comparing Sidi to?

Short Essay Questions

1. Explain how Baroka diverted the railroad, and why.

2. What is Sidi's reasoning for turning down the proposal that Baroka sends to her through Sadiku?

3. What evidence is there in "Noon" that there might be genuine affection between Baroka and Sadiku?

4. When the scene in "Noon" shifts to Baroka's bedroom, what is his favorite wife doing, and how does she use this task to communicate her feelings?

5. Describe Baroka's bedroom.

6. When, in the beginning of "Noon," Lakunle compares Sidi to women in the Bible, what message is he trying to send, and what is Sidi's response?

7. When Sidi says, "The stranger took my beauty/and placed it in my hands" (20), what claim is she making for the power of the photographs?

8. When Lakunle tells the story of Baroka's corruption, what conflicting emotions does he display?

9. When Sadiku conveys Sidi's refusal to Baroka, what is his first reaction, and what changes his feelings?

10. What argument does Sadiku present to Sidi for marrying Baroka?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an analysis of Sidi's character. Is she as shallow as she seems, or is there some depth to her? Is she as simple-minded as Lakunle says that she is, or is she merely naive in some ways? How much does her age have to do with her thinking and her behavior? Be sure to support your claims with evidence from the text.

Essay Topic 2

Lakunle proposes many changes to Yoruba society. Write an essay in which you take a position about his ideas and their role in the play. Which changes would probably promote the health and happiness of the villagers? Which just seem like changes for the sake of change? Does it seem to you that reformers like Lakunle will ever succeed in this village? Why or why not? Be sure to support your claims with textual evidence.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay in which you analyze the scene in The Lion and the Jewel in which Lakunle tells the story of how the railroad was diverted from the village. What happens in this scene, what symbolic elements does it have, and how does it function in the larger work? Be sure to offer textual support for your claims.

(see the answer keys)

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