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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,” what does Kamara fault Neil for worrying about?

2. In “Ghosts,” where did Ikenna Okoro go after the last time Professor Nwoye saw him?

3. In “On Monday of Last Week,” what was Kamara studying when she met Tobechi at university?

4. In “Ghosts,” when was the last time Professor Nwoye saw Ikenna Okoro?

5. In “A Private Experience,” who are the aggressors in the riots the women are hiding from?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. In “Ghosts,” what are the scandals in Nigeria that affect Professor Nwoye’s life?

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

4. In “Imitation,” what distressing news does Nkem receive from her friend who has just come back to the States from Nigeria?

5. Is Nkem victorious at the end of "Imitation"?

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

7. What is the Ugandan’s role in "Jumping Monkey Hill"?

8. In “Jumping Monkey Hill,” what debate does Edward start with his statements about the Senegalese writer’s story?

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

10. In “On Monday of Last Week,” how does the narrator characterize Neil’s parenting?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Evaluate your own reading of The Thing Around Your Neck—did you resist it, or were you compelled by the different stories? Which stories appealed to you strongest? Which ones left you cold? What does your reading tell you about yourself and your interests? Use specific examples from the book to describe yourself as a reader.

Essay Topic 2

What is missing from this book? What should have been covered or presented that was not? What is the effect of this absence? Describe an element that ought to have been covered, and explain why it would have made the book stronger.

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.

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