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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. Elesin's love and appreciation for life is ________________ for his community.
(a) Difficult.
(b) Beneficial.
(c) Problematic.
(d) Dangerous.

2. Which literary medium does Soyinka's work fall under?
(a) Stream of consciousness.
(b) Drama.
(c) Novella.
(d) Short story.

3. Which of the following actions is NOT being performed at the beginning of the play?
(a) Stalls being emptied.
(b) Cows being milked.
(c) Mats being folded.
(d) Baskets being carried.

4. What do the women of the market gain possession of in their fight with the British officers?
(a) Hats.
(b) Weapons.
(c) Batons.
(d) Money.

5. Where is most of the play set?
(a) The marketplace.
(b) The ball.
(c) The cellar.
(d) Elesin's palace.

Short Answer Questions

1. According to Soyinka, what first needs to exist before there can be a clash between two cultures?

2. What is it that Elesin craves before his death?

3. The messenger should be denied _______ he asks for.

4. Whom does Soyinka blame for the tragedy of the story?

5. How does Elesin feel regarding Pilkings helping Olunde go to school?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the significance of the term, "my mother", in African culture?

2. What does Elesin confess when Pilkings leaves his cell in Act 1, Scene 5? To whom does he confess this?

3. Is Elesin's death useful to the Yoruban people by the end of the story? Why or why not?

4. Who is Amusa and what is his role?

5. What does Amusa's note say in the dance of Act 1, Scene 4? Why does Amusa write the note?

6. How is foreshadowing present in the opening scene of the play?

7. Which agenda seems the most important to Pilkings in Act 1, Scene 2?

8. Why does Olunde decide to take his father's place as the messenger and end his life?

9. Describe Elesin's reaction when Jane attempts to plead with him in the last scene of the play.

10. Olunde is inspired by an English captain. Why?

(see the answer keys)

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