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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 “The American Embassy,” what number does the woman hold in the line of people outside the American embassy?

2. In “The Shivering,” why does Ukamaka like Chinedu’s presence in her apartment?

3. In "Tomorrow is Too Far," how old was the narrator when Nonso died?

4. In “The Thing Around Your Neck,” when does the thing around Akunna’s neck start to let go?

5. In “The Thing Around Your Neck,” why does Akunna leave her first house?

Short Essay Questions

1. In “The American Embassy,” why does the woman leave the embassy without completing the interview process?

2. Who are the main characters of the short story "Tomorrow is Too Far"?

3. In “The Shivering,” what is it about the events in Nigeria that have Ukamaka so upset?

4. In “The American Embassy,” what injury keeps the woman in line from moving with any agility?

5. In "Tomorrow is Too Far," what caused Nonso to receive preferential treatment among the three children in the story?

6. In “The Arrangers of Marriage,” how does the narrator characterize the apartment she arrives in with her husband?

7. What is the thing around the character’s neck in the story "The Thing Around Your Neck"?

8. In “The Arrangers of Marriage,” what did the arrangers of marriage not tell the narrator about her husband’s professional status?

9. In “The Headstrong Historian,” how did Afamefuna validate Nwamgba’s values in the end of her life?

10. In “The Shivering,” how does Chinedu explain away Ukamaka’s objections about his logic regarding God’s will?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What role does the Nigerian Civil War play in Adichie’s short stories? What are the underlying social tensions that sparked the war, and how are they presented? How does Adichie represent the consequences and aftermath of the conflict?

Essay Topic 2

How does Adichie include history in her stories, and which histories are most influential in her characters’ lives? How do characters live with their past, their lineage, their childhood? How does the past change as characters grow up and see their lives in more detail?

Essay Topic 3

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?

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