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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Why did Alexandra remain standing while other "black ghettoes" (201) were razed?
(a) The residents of Alexandra fought off the white suburbanites.
(b) The white people allowed Alexandra to remain standing as an act of charity.
(c) Alexandra was on a piece of holy ground that white people chose to respect.
(d) The land in Alexandra had been sold to black tenants before doing so was made illegal.

2. What is a "cheese boy" in the vernacular of Alexandra, South Africa?
(a) A mascot for a beloved macaroni and cheese restaurant.
(b) A derogatory term for white people.
(c) A dairy farmer.
(d) Someone wealthy enough to afford cheese.

3. According to the author, which culture do the "colored people" of modern South Africa have the strongest link to?
(a) The Sotho.
(b) The Xhosa.
(c) The Zulu.
(d) The Afrikaners.

4. What did the police ask the author when he was called in for questioning regarding the stolen chocolate?
(a) They asked whether he knew if Teddy had any white friends.
(b) They asked him to submit to a blood-alcohol test.
(c) They asked why he and Teddy stole the chocolates.
(d) They asked if he knew where Teddy had gone.

5. What advice did Patricia give the author about prioritizing between his wife and mother?
(a) Patricia said that men should be the tie-breaker in arguments between their wives and mothers.
(b) Patricia said that a man's mother should always come first.
(c) Patricia said that men should not respect women at all.
(d) Patricia said that a man's wife should always come first.

Short Answer Questions

1. What physical condition does the author claim made him less attractive during grade 9?

2. What element of American culture does the author equate with freedom in the story, "Go Hitler!"?

3. How did Patricia react after the author explained what happened to him under the mulberry tree?

4. How did the author first respond in his trial when he thought the judge asked him how he was?

5. What was the name of the best dancer on the author's crew?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happened to the Khoisan tribe after Europeans colonized South Africa?

2. What geographical explanation does the author give when he states that "it's physically impossible for [Alexandra] to change" (201)?

3. Why could none of the police recognize the author in the security footage?

4. Why did the girls in the author's grade at H. A. Jack Primary think that he and Maylene would be perfect for each other?

5. Why did Patricia encourage the author to hang out with his cousin at the university?

6. What was the purpose of the event where the author and his crew got in trouble for chanting Hitler's name?

7. Which racial group accepted the author as soon as he enrolled in Sandingham High School?

8. How does the author explain the abundance of South Africans with names for controversial historical figures like "Napoleon," "Mussolini," and "Hitler"?

9. Why does the author claim that the "colored people" of modern South Africa are in some ways worse off than the black people of South Africa?

10. How does the author describe the relationship between regular people and criminals in Alexandra?

(see the answer keys)

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