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. What does Tambu's letter to Nyasha say in Chapter 6?

2. Where was Tambu's previous job that she gave up?

3. What surprises Tambu about Nyasha's husband?

4. What is one of Mai Manyanga's son's names?

5. What does Tambu do in response to the crowd's anger toward Gertrude?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Tambu's reaction to Mako's distress in Chapter 5?

2. What does Tambu offer to do to help Nyasha with the children at the end of Chapter 12, and how is the offer received?

3. What does Tambu think about her new room in Mai Manyanga's house when she initially moves in in Chapter 4?

4. What does Tambu take to helping herself to that belongs to Mai Manyanga in Chapter 5?

5. Why is Tambu unable to actually meet Widow Riley in Chapter 1?

6. What does Nyasha urge Tambu to do for her own good towards the end of Chapter 11?

7. What does Tambu's cousin Nyasha do for work?

8. What kind of animal does Tambu envision when she arrives in the mental health institution in Chapter 9?

9. Why does Christine come to Mai Manyanga's in Chapter 5?

10. Who comes to visit Tambu in the mental health institution in Chapter 10?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In Chapters 9 and 10, Tambu is surprised to encounter the Widow Riley again. How do the widow's attentions and misconceptions about Tambu's identity affect Tambu? Write an essay exploring how Tambu's interactions with the Widow Riley affect her.

Essay Topic 2

Consider the titles of the three main sections of the novel: Ebbing, Suspended, and Arriving. Write an essay analyzing how these three titles embody the topics, tone, and actions in each of the sections. Also discuss how the sections fit together.

Essay Topic 3

What does Aunt Lucia's security agency, where Tambu ultimately ends up working in the end of the novel, symbolize? Write an essay discussing how Aunt Lucia's experiences in the war are related to her decision to start a security agency.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 667 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample