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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. What is the reformatory worker’s main concern about Absalom’s involvement in the murder?

2. What neighborhood of the city does Msimangu live in?

3. How long is the waiting list for a new house in Orlando?

4. What tribe does Kumalo belong to?

5. How long has it been since the Kumalos heard from their son?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe two sides of the debate that whites have about “native crime” as indicated in the conversations in Chapter 12.

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

3. Why is Kumalo upset that John Kumalo decides to get a lawyer to defend his own son in the trial about the murder?

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

5. Briefly describe the life of the woman who is the protagonist of Chapter 9, living in Orlando’s Shanty Town.

6. How does Gertrude react to seeing Kumalo in Johannesburg? How does she feel about her own behavior, and the prospect of returning to Ndotsheni?

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

8. How does the first chapter describe the land of the Umzimkulu valley? How does this reflect on the state of the people who live there?

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

10. 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?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

Who is the protagonist of the novel and why? Would you have preferred the novel be told from another character’s perspective? Who and why? Make a strong argument for your protagonist, and support your argument with examples from the text.

Essay Topic 3

What do the gold mines symbolize in Cry, the Beloved Country. To what theme do the gold mines most relate? How are the gold mines perceived by the wealthy white elite? How are they perceived by the oppressed blacks?

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