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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. How old was Zikora when her father married a second wife?

2. What about the smaller nurse bothers Zikora to the point that she decides she will write a complaint after?

3. What word becomes Zikora and Kwame's word to describe a variety of things after they begin dating?

4. How does the narrator's mother respond to her expression of pain during labor?

5. What does Zikora brag to her cousin Mmiliaku when talking of her relationship with Kwame?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who does Zikora think of when she becomes so tired she feels like she could die right there, and what happened to this person?

2. What is the dynamic between mother and daughter at the beginning of "Zikora: A Short Story"?

3. How does Zikora interact with Dr. K when he first appears in the story and she tells him something must be wrong?

4. How is Zikora's cousin Mmiliaku's husband Emmanuel described?

5. What happened when Zikora was nine and went to see Aunty Nwanneka's new son, Ugonna?

6. Where is the narrator at the start of "Zikora: A Short Story," why, and what relative is with her?

7. Why does Zikora feel she is disgracing her mother in the labor room?

8. What does Zikora feel toward the nurse after she raises her eyebrows when Zikora's mother refuses to help keep her still for the epidural?

9. What do the nurses continually tell Zikora at the beginning of the story, which she feels they are blaming Zikora for?

10. Why does Kwame's reaction to Zikora's pregnancy surprise her?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay on Zikora's mother's belief in self dignity in "Zikora: A Short Story." What is her definition of dignity and how does this impact Zikora?

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay comparing ZIkora and Kwame's relationship to Mmiliaku and Emmanuel's relationship. How are they similar of different and why?

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay analyzing Adichie’s choice to tell the novel from first person point-of-view. Discuss how this point-of-view impacts the reader’s experience. Using direct examples from the text, explain why this point-of-view is or is not an effective choice.

(see the answer keys)

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