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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 is the third character involved in the first case's conflict?

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

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

4. How much money is involved in the first case's conflict?

5. Why can't Faithful-Mother accompany the drinkard and his wife on the rest of their journey?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does the drinkard do when he realizes the townspeople plan to revolt against him?

2. Describe the white tree.

3. Describe the group of four hundred dead babies the drinkard and his wife meet on the road.

4. Are plants important in this story?

5. How are the people of Dead's Town different from living humans?

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

7. Describe the feud between Heaven and Land.

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

9. While living in "mixed town," the drinkard is asked to judge two separate cases, but he leaves them unresolved. How are they similar and what makes them hard to resolve?

10. 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?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

There is a didactic nature to many of the episodes in The Palm-wine Drinkard. Choose three examples and explain why they can be considered didactic.

Essay Topic 3

Family is a common theme in literature. Focus on one example of a family theme in this novel, explaining why it falls under this category, why it is significant within the novel, and finally, how your example is symbolic beyond the text (is there a message here?)

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 748 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample