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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. What is Absalom’s attitude in jail?
(a) He is stoic.
(b) He is self-righteous and proud.
(c) He is full of self-pity.
(d) He is defiant.

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

3. Which of the following is NOT something Kumalo and his wife were saving money for?
(a) A vacation.
(b) A stove.
(c) New clothes.
(d) To send their son to school.

4. Which powerful black leader does the anonymous black woman seek for housing help in Chapter 9?
(a) Msimangu.
(b) Tomlinson.
(c) John Kumalo.
(d) Dubula.

5. What weapon did Absalom use to kill Arthur Jarvis?
(a) An iron bar.
(b) A revolver.
(c) His bare hands.
(d) A knife.

Short Answer Questions

1. Which of the following does the black woman NOT lament?

2. Kumalo is described as moving _______, in the same rhythm as the tribal life. What is the adjective that best describes both tribal life and Kumalo’s movements?

3. How does Absalom’s girl react when Kumalo tells her she will have to leave Johannesburg if she marries Absalom?

4. What is the name of the taxi driver who is friends with Absalom?

5. Where is Msimangu’s ministry for the disabled?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens to Kumalo as soon as he arrives in Johannesburg? How does this reinforce his feelings about the city?

2. Explain how Kumalo and his wife a.) mainly intended to use their savings; b.) how they have to use it now; and c.) why this shift does not ultimately matter.

3. Briefly discuss all the places Kumalo and Msimangu visit in their search for Absalom.

4. Explain why Msimangu wants to see Mrs. Mkize alone rather than telling Kumalo after Mrs. Ndlela tells him the police are looking for Absalom.

5. Describe Kumalo’s initial physical reaction when the white reformatory worker comes to apologize. Why does Kumalo behave this way? What effect does it have on the white reformer?

6. Compare and contrast Kumalo and Msimangu’s reaction to Absalom’s pregnant girl.

7. Describe some ways John Kumalo has changed since he moved to Johannesburg from Ndotsheni.

8. How does Kumalo treat the pregnant girl when she reveals she has had two other “husbands,” and why?

9. What unofficial title do most members of Ndotsheni bestow on Kumalo’s wife, and what does it signify?

10. Briefly discuss John’s hypocritical attitude towards both the church and tribal chiefs.

(see the answer keys)

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