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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 book did the landscape from the scouting event in Chapter 35 inspire?

2. What did Ngũgĩ’s mother make for his friends when they visited in Chapter 23?

3. Why was Ngũgĩ’s friend let go and Ngũgĩ was made to stay captive in Chapter 24?

4. Which of Ngũgĩ’s family members worked at European owned tea estates?

5. Who replaced Anthony Eden as British Prime Minister?

Short Essay Questions

1. What are some of the things that make the new village feel like the old village when Ngũgĩ returns home for Christmas?

2. In what ways did Edward Carey Francis change the education model of Alliance?

3. Describe the significance of the Mugumo tree at the end of Chapter 31.

4. What did Ngũgĩ see at the event for Lord Baden Powell that he found most moving?

5. What are the big changes Ngũgĩ describes at the beginning of Chapter 32?

6. How does Ngũgĩ describe the homes of the loyal vs. those of the disloyal in Chapter 13?

7. Why and when did the Saturday Evening paper begin and what did Ngũgĩ like about it?

8. After Harold MacMillan replaced Anthony Eden as British Prime Minister, several countries gained their independence. Please list which countries gained their independence and from whom.

9. Ngũgĩ says that schools were separate and unequal, thus sports were the only way to compare abilities. What does he say the games between Alliance and other all white schools became a metaphor for?

10. Why are Ngũgĩ, Wanjai and Leonard late getting back from Nairobi Saturday?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Upon returning to school after the second break, Ngũgĩ describes Alliance as “shelter” but no longer uses the word “sanctuary.” Write a short essay on why you think this changes.

Essay Topic 2

What was the significance of the nationalization of the Suez Canal? Consider what it meant for Africans from Ngũgĩ’s perspective as well as Edward Carey Francis’ response. How is this an example of the outside world seeping into Alliance?

Essay Topic 3

Define memoir and discuss why it is used for this type of story.

(see the answer keys)

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