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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. Who comes home to Zambia to die?

2. Who gets into a harness?

3. What does Lee research for many years?

4. How does Ronald die?

5. Who is Solo?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does the General want from Jacob?

2. What does Naila want to do to the STOP signs in Lusaka?

3. When did Jacob lose his mother?

4. What does Agnes ask Joseph to help her find?

5. Where does Naila work after university?

6. What does Mai see the morning after the mission?

7. Who comes to Matha's when Jacob was there?

8. Why does Thandi's husband go to a hair salon almost every day while they are married?

9. Who are Pepa and Solo?

10. What is "The Vulture"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay in which you examine the theme of money in the novel. What role does money play for families across generations? Choose one or two families or individuals in the novel and explore the function and significance of money in their lives. Use evidence from the text to explain your thoughts.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay in which you examine the concept of disease in the novel. What kinds of diseases, medical or otherwise, plague the characters in the novel? How so? Are they spread or inherited across generations How are these illnesses rectified or triggered? Use evidence from the text to explain your thoughts.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay in which you examine the structure of the novel. What is the effect of writing this particular story this way? What does the presence of a third-person, omniscient narrator and chapter endings narrated by a swarm of mosquitoes do to propel the narrative forward, or emphasize important themes? Use evidence from the text to explain your thoughts.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 555 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample