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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 was in the center of the white tree?

2. What does the drinkard turn himself into to escape from the "mountain-creatures"?

3. Why do the drinkard and his wife leave the town?

4. What do the drinkard and the tapser do together?

5. What does the drinkard turn his wife into to keep her safe from "Hungry-Monster"?

Short Essay Questions

1. What did the drinkard and his wife do with their death and fear? Why is this significant?

2. Compare the juju the drinkard used during difficult situations with the gun he used during difficult situations.

3. How does the drinkard escape from the hungry-creature's stomach? Is this realistic?

4. Describe the white tree.

5. In no more than three sentences, comment on the treatment of magic versus realism in this story. Are the two distinguishable within the world of this novel?

6. What new power does the drinkard's wife develop during pages 248-264?

7. How do the townspeople treat the drinkard when comes home and shares his powerful egg?

8. Does the wife's prophecy about the "Invisible-Pawn"--"wonderful hard worker, but he would be a wonderful robber in future"--come true ?

9. Does the drinkard give a satisfactory reason for fighting and then killing the bag creatures?

10. Explain why some might consider the drinkard to be a "good" character in the end and another might see him as a "bad" character.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

While in Dead's Town the tapster explains that "alives" and "deads" can not live together because they each think the other group does everything backwards or incorrectly. Comment on this allegorical chapter using these questions to guide you:

(1) What happens in this chapter? Where else in the book do we find similar events and themes?

(2) What are these scene allegories for?

(3) Is there a moral lesson or resolution to these allegories? Explain why or why not.

Essay Topic 2

Although the drinkard is named "Father of gods who could do everything in this world," he is not omnipotent. It takes more than a twitch of his nose or a snap of his fingers to accomplish his feats. This being said, the drinkard uses a combination of supernatural magic and human wit when dealing with challenges. Discuss how he is fantastical, how he is human, and why this combination makes him a compelling character.

Essay Topic 3

Although written in the folktale fashion, The Palm-wine Drinkard is a product of an educated Nigerian man who wrote for an English speaking publisher, during the 20th century. Discuss the balance between African tradition and Western modernization. Use at least three distinct examples from the book.

(see the answer keys)

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