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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 Chapter 2, what did the British go to Rhodesia to find?

2. According to Bessie, revolutionary movements are composed of people living with what?

3. What special category did Bessie see her writing in?

4. In Chapter 2, what does Bessie feel that the African people need, for their civilization?

5. How many years did Bessie live in South Africa?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why according to Bessie has Botswana survived by "sheer luck and unexpected good fortune"?

2. Why was Bessie able to write in Botswana rather than South Africa?

3. In "Despite Broken Bondage . . .," how were women treated in Africa before independence?

4. In the conclusion of Chapter 2, how does Bessie summarize her life experiences?

5. Why was it so difficult for Bessie to deal with South Africa creatively?

6. In "Notes on Novels," why is Bessie having difficulty writing about her years in South Africa?

7. In "African Religions," what does Bessie state is at the root of religion in Africa?

8. In "Social and Political Pressures . . . ," what astonished Bessie about the book "One Hundred Years of Solitude"?

9. What was Bessie's life like during the two years that she lived in the refugee community in northern Botswana?

10. When Bessie arrived in Botswana in 1964, what were the major differences that she noticed between that country and South Africa?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Bessie views African religion as "within oneself," with no need for institutions or communal worship. Does this seem to work well, for them? Why does Bessie think that this fits into their basic philosophy of life? Bessie states that this is the religion of any people who have never been wanted by the rest of mankind nor had the means or education to find God in a "posh place." Do you agree with this statement? Does a place of worship have to be posh? Is the fact of a community coming together more important than the structure that they worship in? Why, do you think, she assumes that all organized religions have elegant places of worship? Do you think she's right? Given the black South African's sense of being set apart from the rest of the world, do you think their type of "individual" worship only serves to emphasize their "aloneness"? Would a more group-based religion make them feel like part of something larger?

Essay Topic 2

Bessie describes the lonely life of South African refugees as she experienced. Do you that the refugees would say that it's a small price to pay for freedom? What was Botswana's reaction to refugees after independence? How did this reflect their view of refugees? Do you think that refugees are ever truly "free" of the country that they have fled? Are they always associated with it in the new country? Is this true today of America and refugees from the Muslim countries? What are the stereotypes of these refugees? Do you think that refugees should be forced to assimilate totally into their adoptive country, even forsaking previous culture, language, and religion?

Essay Topic 3

In Ellen Kuzwayo's "Call me Woman," she describes her life before and after oppression. What was her life like before? What was the view of South African then? What kind of work was her family involved in? What kind of education did she have? Ellen was a part of the first groups of educated blacks that felt leadership should be based on merit, not ethnicity. What event changed her life drastically? Do you think she was at all prepared to be thrust into a world of instant poverty, violence, and suffering? How did she deal with it? Do you think that it's easier for someone to accept this, if they've been born into it and it's all they've ever known, rather than someone, like Ellen, who knew a good life and then was forced to give everything up?

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