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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Which word(s) best describes John’s feelings toward tribal chiefs and the Church?
(a) Contempt.
(b) Absolute reverence.
(c) Amusement.
(d) A philosophical respect.

2. What does Mrs. Ndlela tell Kumalo and Msimangu about Absalom that concerns them?
(a) She tells them Absalom had a child out of wedlock.
(b) She tells them Absalom stole from her.
(c) She tells them Absalom was spending time with a bad crowd.
(d) She tells them Absalom had been in jail.

3. What was the motive for Absalom and his accomplices to break into the Jarvis house?
(a) They wanted to steal goods to sell.
(b) They sought retribution for being fired from the Jarvis household.
(c) They were going to kidnap one of Jarvis’ children and hold it for ransom.
(d) They were involved in a grudge match with one of Jarvis’ servants.

4. Who tells Kumalo that Absalom is responsible for the murder?
(a) John Kumalo.
(b) Gertrude.
(c) The reformatory worker.
(d) Father Vincent.

5. What was the murdered man most well-known for?
(a) He advocated for a separate nation for blacks.
(b) He had married a black woman.
(c) He was a rising local politician.
(d) He spoke and wrote publicly for equal rights for blacks.

6. Why did Kumalo’s sister originally go to the city?
(a) She went to search for Kumalo’s son.
(b) She went to find her husband who was working in the mines.
(c) She went to pursue a job as a teacher.
(d) She went as a servant to a white family.

7. Who apologizes to Kumalo for behaving badly towards him and refusing to help him get a lawyer for Absalom?
(a) His brother John.
(b) The reformatory worker.
(c) Msimangu.
(d) Father Vincent.

8. Why are Absalom’s accomplices angry with him?
(a) Because he is collecting false witnesses who saw them at the crime scene.
(b) Because he refuses to lie and take all the blame for the crime upon himself.
(c) Because he lied to the police about which of them shot Arthur Jarvis.
(d) Because he faked illness to get a better prison cell than them.

9. Why does Kumalo feel betrayed by his brother John?
(a) Because John is willing to hire a lawyer to lie about his own son’s involvement in the murder.
(b) Because John is prepared to act as an alibi to get his own son off the hook.
(c) Because John is secretly gleeful that a white man is dead.
(d) Because John renounces any familial bond with Stephen or Absalom.

10. Who promises to help Kumalo find his sister and his son?
(a) Dubula.
(b) His brother John.
(c) Msimangu.
(d) Mrs. Lithebe.

11. How does Absalom’s girl react when Kumalo tells her she will have to leave Johannesburg if she marries Absalom?
(a) She is pleased at the idea of a quiet, rural life.
(b) She wants to put her baby up for adoption instead.
(c) She sulks and wishes to break off the engagement.
(d) She demands financial compensation for the inconvenience.

12. What tribe does Kumalo belong to?
(a) Bantu.
(b) Sotho.
(c) Zulu.
(d) Xhosa.

13. What wealth-making industry has drawn so many young men to the city?
(a) Oil.
(b) Platinum.
(c) Diamonds.
(d) Gold.

14. Who does the letter at the beginning of the novel claim is sick?
(a) Kumalo’s brother.
(b) Kumalo’s nephew.
(c) Kumalo’s son.
(d) Kumalo’s sister.

15. What neighborhood did the murdered white man live in?
(a) Carisbrooke.
(b) Springs.
(c) Parkwold.
(d) Alexandra.

Short Answer Questions

1. What strategy does the lawyer intend to use in Absalom’s case?

2. Chapter 12 steps out of the main plot to relate snippets of whites reacting to “native crime” via what platform?

3. What is the primary emotional reaction of everyone Kumalo asks about Absalom?

4. What is the name of the woman who rents a room to Kumalo?

5. Where does the white reformatory worker say Absalom currently lives?

(see the answer keys)

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