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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 Arrangers of Marriage,” what does Odofile tell Chinaza she has to do in order to get ahead in America?

2. In "Tomorrow is Too Far," what had the narrator and Dozie agreed to, before Nonso got hurt?

3. In “The American Embassy,” what does the woman keep seeing in her mind’s eye?

4. In “The Thing Around Your Neck,” what do all Americans have, according to Akunna’s relatives in Nigeria?

5. In “The Arrangers of Marriage,” what name does Odofile make Chinaza take?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What topics would you like to research further, after reading The Thing Around Your Neck. Describe why additional research or reading would be beneficial to an understanding of this book. Propose a list of articles or books you would read in order to get a better handle on The Thing Around Your Neck.

Essay Topic 2

How does Adichie represent America in the stories of The Thing Around Your Neck? What does it stand for, in the lives of the Nigerians in her stories? What lessons do the Nigerians need to learn, to thrive there? How well do these lessons prepare people for the reality of America?

Essay Topic 3

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?

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