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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 was the wall made of that stood at the back of the stage at Kamĩrĩĩthũ?

2. What did Sydney Portier say he had come to associate Africa with as a result of the literature he had read?

3. In the Kamĩrĩĩthũ rehearsal and production for Ngaahika Ndeenda, the author says perfection was shown to be what?

4. What does the author say the real aim of colonialism was in Chapter 1, Part V?

5. What was the first school that Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o attended?

Short Essay Questions

1. When did Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o cease writing in English? What were his first works in Gĩkũyũ?

2. What does the author describe as the effects of one's written language being separated from one's environmental language?

3. What are the origins of drama, according to the author in Chapter 2, Part III?

4. What are the main characters anticipating in the opening of Ngaahika Ndeenda?

5. What are the three aspects of language as means of communication?

6. How does the author describe Kamĩrĩĩthũ? Where is it located? How many people live there?

7. What does the author ask about writers who continue to write in foreign languages in Chapter 1, Part VIII?

8. What literary convention does the author describe in Chapter 1, Part II? Who attended?

9. How does the author describe the peasant's relationship to language in Chapter 1, Part VII?

10. What role did song and dance have in the original production of Ngaahika Ndeenda?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe the basic plot and themes in Caitaani Mũtharabainĩ. Who are the main characters in the novel? What subjects does the novel explore? Why did the author choose to write this novel in his native tongue?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the author's decision to begin writing his works solely in Gĩkũyũ or Swahili. When did he make this decision? What led him to make this decision? What works has he written in his native tongues?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the establishment of the Kamĩrĩĩthũ Community Education and Cultural Centre. What was the mission of this institution? Why was this location chosen for the center? How is the physicality of the center described?

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