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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 Shivering,” how does Ukamaka say Udenna always imposed himself on her?

2. In “The Headstrong Historian,” how did Nwamgba propose to solve the problem of their infertility as a couple?

3. In “The American Embassy,” what spectacle does the woman not pay attention to?

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

5. In “The Arrangers of Marriage,” how does Chinaza characterize her aunt and uncle’s interest in her thoughts and feelings about new marriage?

Short Essay Questions

1. In “The American Embassy,” why has the woman come to wait in line at the American Embassy?

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

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

4. In “The Headstrong Historian,” what were Nwamgba’s parents’ objections to Nwamgba’s choice of Obierika as husband, and how did she overcome them?

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

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

7. In “The Shivering,” what causes Ukamaka’s shivering?

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

What is the roles available to women in The Thing Around Your Neck? How are women portrayed? What kinds of choices do they get to make, and what is kept from them? How do they live within or rebel against these limits? How would you evaluate Adichie’s depiction of women in this collection of short stories? How are their roles and knowledge and behavior distinguished from the male characters?

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

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