View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. In “The Headstrong Historian,” what did Anikwenwa learn to do in Lagos?

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

3. In “The Thing Around Your Neck,” why does Akunna not write to her family back in Nigeria?

4. In “The American Embassy,” how does the woman end the interview at the embassy?

5. In "Tomorrow is Too Far," what did the narrator wait for her mother to recognize?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

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

6. How does the narrator characterize the rules in America, in "The Thing Around Your Neck"?

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

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

9. Who is the You in the story "The Thing Around Your Neck"?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an evaluative review of The Thing Around Your Neck. What is this book’s place in our culture? Who will find this book most useful? What are its uses? What are its limitations?

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

Write a character sketch of the author based on her style and content. What can we tell about her, based on the choices she makes in terms of description, characterization and plot? What values does she hold dear? What are her hopes and fears? What kind of person do you think she is? Anchor your sketch in passages in the book.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,035 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample