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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 "Tomorrow is Too Far," who called out to Nonso that there was a snake in the tree below him?

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

3. In “The Arrangers of Marriage,” who does Odofile look down on when he takes Chinaza shopping?

4. In “The Arrangers of Marriage,” how much does Odofile tell Chinaza he makes?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. When and where is "The Headstrong Historian" set?

2. In “The American Embassy,” what is the woman’s relationship with the man behind her in line?

3. In "Tomorrow is Too Far," what had the narrator told her mother to explain how Nonso had died?

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

5. In “The Thing Around Your Neck,” what difficulties does Akunna, the you of the story, encounter in dating a white man?

6. In “The Shivering,” what is it that brings Chinedu to Ukamaka’s apartment?

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

8. In “The Arrangers of Marriage,” what was it that Chinaza liked about the markets in Enugu?

9. In “The Arrangers of Marriage,” how does the woman’s name change when she arrives in America?

10. In “The Headstrong Historian,” how does Nwamgba end up sending Anikwenwa to learn English from the mission schools?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

Which of Adichie’s stories are coming of age narratives, and what does coming of age entail, in these stories? What earlier state is left behind? What new state is assumed? What is lost and gained in the transition?

Essay Topic 3

Evaluate the final story of The Thing Around Your Neck. Does it ring true to the other stories? Does it address the problems and tensions that preceded it? What are you left wishing for closure on, if anything?

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