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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 “Imitation,” when the story opens, how far off is Obiora’s next visit?

2. In “A Private Experience,” what does the narrator refer to in saying the woman was having a private experience?

3. In “Imitation,” how long did Obiora stay in the U.S. after he settled Nkem there?

4. In “Cell One,” how does the narrator say her brother could have treated his imprisonment?

5. In “A Private Experience,” what does Chika ask the woman to give her?

Short Essay Questions

1. In “On Monday of Last Week,” what happened on Monday of last week?

2. In “Imitation,” what signs are there that the story supports Nkem’s position at the end of the story?

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

4. Where is "Jumping Monkey Hill "set?

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

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

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

8. In “Ghosts,” what is the custom Professor Nwoye feels he should follow, when he sees his old colleague Ikenna Okoro, and what does he do?

9. In “On Monday of Last Week,” how does the narrator characterize Kamara’s relationship with Tobechi?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What are the hardest things about crossing between cultures, and living in more than one culture at a time? Which stories would be the most useful tools for helping someone live in this situation? What are the lessons these stories tell? What are the steps to adjusting to a multi-ethnic life, according to Adichie’s stories?

Essay Topic 2

How does Adichie represent white people in The Thing Around Your Neck? Are they painted with the same brush, or are they each individuals, with their own lives and characteristics? What generalizations do Adichie’s stories support? What generalizations do they undermine? Cite examples from the stories.

Essay Topic 3

How do the titles relate to the stories? Choose three stories and explain the various resonances between title and narrative. Is there a trend you can identify, in how Adichie uses the titles to add to the meaning of the stories?

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