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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. In “On Monday of Last Week,” how long did it take Tobechi to get his green card and send for Kamara?

2. In “Ghosts,” what does Professor Nwoye buy for the men under the flame tree?

3. In “On Monday of Last Week,” what amuses Kamara about the phrase “cooking dinner” in the U.S. (80)?

4. In “Jumping Monkey Hill,” why did Edward think the Zimbabwean’s story was passé?

5. In “Jumping Monkey Hill,” what is it in the Senegalese’ story that Edward says is not representative of Africa?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens to turn Kamara around at the end of "On Monday of Last Week"?

2. In “Cell One,” how did Nnamabia’s time in prison change the narrator’s parents?

3. In “A Private Experience,” how does the story characterize the difference between Chika and the Hausa woman?

4. What is the setting for "A Private Experience"?

5. In “On Monday of Last Week,” what changed for Kamara after last Monday?

6. In “Jumping Monkey Hill,” how does Edward’s wife Isabel get on Ujunwa’s wrong side?

7. In “Ghosts,” whose ghost does Professor Nwoye also see?

8. In “Cell One,” what is the difference between Nsukka and Enugu?

9. In “Cell One,” why was the narrator’s brother arrested?

10. In “Imitation,” what does Obiora feel about the children preserving Nigerian customs in America?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is the role of religion in the lives of the characters in Adichie’s stories? What are the main religions represented in the stories, and what are the main differences between them? What do the different religions do for the people who subscribe to them? How do people characterize believers from other religions? How do religious observances change when people come to America?

Essay Topic 2

In many stories, there are two different languages being spoken by different characters, and these languages mean different things to different people. Choose three stories and discuss the different vocabularies and sets of meanings that create gaps between people’s understanding. How do the various narrators characterize the differences between languages, whether they be male and female, English and Igbo, African and American?

Essay Topic 3

What topics would you like to research further, after reading The Thing Around Your Neck. Describe why additional research or reading would be beneficial to an understanding of this book. Propose a list of articles or books you would read in order to get a better handle on The Thing Around Your Neck.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,056 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample