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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. With what is the pool infested?

2. What is Henderson wounded by in the war?

3. What color is the morning light?

4. Where does Romilayu suggest they visit next?

5. Who are the first people to meet Henderson?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Henderson become a pig farmer?

2. Describe Lily and Henderson's marriage.

3. How does Henderson react to the corpse in Chapter Eleven?

4. How do Lily and Henderson meet?

5. Why does Henderson decide he must fight properly?

6. How does the wood chip change Henderson's life?

7. What does Henderson remember about his dentist back in Europe and America?

8. How has Lily' s life changed in Chapter Three?

9. Describe Mtalba's visit with Henderson.

10. In what way is Henderson's colonial mindset revealed in this chapter?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Examine Bellow's writing style. How would you describe Bellow's prose style? What kind of vocabulary does he use? Does he use any specific writing techniques? What meaning does Bellow's style give to the story?

Essay Topic 2

Pick a character from the novel and discuss their goals and motives. Do they achieve their motives? Why? Do they share similar goals and motives with other characters? Do their goals clash with other characters? How do the characters' goals and motives affect their interaction with each other?

Essay Topic 3

The novel is set mostly in Africa.

1) What meaning does Africa bring to the novel? What would you automatically presume about a novel that is set in Africa?

2) How different do you think today's Africa is to the Africa in the novel? How do you think the novel's meaning would change if it were set in today's Africa?

3) How do you think the African settings of the novel contributes to the novel's spiritual meaning?

(see the answer keys)

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