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| Name: _________________________ | Period: ___________________ |
This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.
Short Answer Questions
1. How does Kumalo travel to the city?
2. How long is the waiting list for a new house in Orlando?
3. What is Absalom’s attitude in jail?
4. What is the name of the woman who rents a room to Kumalo?
5. Which of the following is NOT something Kumalo and his wife were saving money for?
Short Essay Questions
1. Describe the white reformatory worker’s reaction to the news that Absalom killed Arthur Jarvis, and why he reacts this way.
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. What additional errand does a friend of Kumalo’s ask him to run while he is in the city? How does this reflect the themes of the novel?
4. What feelings do Stephen Kumalo and his wife have before they open the letter they receive at the beginning of the book? Why do they feel this way?
5. What does Kumalo tell Father Vincent worries or saddens him about the way Absalom is handling his arrest?
6. 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?
7. Why is Kumalo upset that John Kumalo decides to get a lawyer to defend his own son in the trial about the murder?
8. What surprises Kumalo about the behavior of many whites regarding the bus boycott?
9. Briefly discuss all the places Kumalo and Msimangu visit in their search for Absalom.
10. Why does Msimangu apologize to Kumalo after they have met the pregnant girl?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
Discuss examples of foreshadowing in Cry, the Beloved Country. What is foreshadowed at the train station when Kumalo departs? How does the author employ foreshadowing to increase tension in the story?
Essay Topic 2
Discuss the historical context of Cry, the Beloved Country. When was this novel written? What real-life experiences influenced the author in this work? How does the novel reflect upon the political and social atmosphere of South Africa?
Essay Topic 3
Discuss the structure of the novel. How do the sections that step out of the main plot serve the story? How and why does the author occasionally use the first person (“we” and “us”) and second person (“you”)? How do rhetorical devices like repetition and metaphor enhance the narrative? Do you think these techniques are effective in drawing the reader more deeply and personally into the world of the novel? Why or why not? Be sure to support your argument with examples from the text.
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This section contains 1,134 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) |
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