View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Where does July note that he was during his time away with the bakke?

2. What does Maureen send Royce to tell July in Section 5?

3. What does July report in Section 4 about the towns?

4. Why is July hurt by Maureen in Section 5?

5. Why does Maureen want to keep the small warthog?

Short Essay Questions

1. Explain Martha and July's mother's reaction to meeting Maureen in Section 2.

2. Why do you think July is so insistent that the Smalls continue to allow him and his family to work for them?

3. What does the son mean when he says “They can’t do anything. Nothing to us anymore” (pg 21).

4. What does the author mean by “a contempt and humiliation that came from their blood and his” (pg 62)?

5. Describe the shooting of the warthog, and the resulting meal for the Smalls.

6. In Section 2, what does July try to explain to his family about the Smalls?

7. What does Maureen realize now about how she treated July, and her assumption that he has taken the keys as one friend takes them from another?

8. Describe the situation with the vehicle in Section 3.

9. Explain where the Smalls find themselves in the opening section, and where they came from.

10. Explain Maureen’s reaction to meeting Martha and July’s mother in Section 2.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In the story, Martha’s character dreams of keeping her husband near, while her husband dreams of returning to life in the city. What do you think explains these differences, and what do you think this means for the couple? What do you think July will do, regardless of the outcome of the riots? What will Martha do, and why?

Essay Topic 2

The photograph of Maureen and Lydia is a focal point for Maureen in the novel. Explain what that photograph would mean in apartheid South Africa. Why was this so important for Maureen as an adult? What did the photograph imply, to her, as she noted her ignorance? Do you think she has changed? How?

Essay Topic 3

July plays up his power role in his home community, telling the Smalls he is listened to in his village and that he is powerful. However, Maureen accuses him of attempting to use them, and their belongings, to further his power. Why would July need the Smalls, or their things, to improve standing in his community, and what does this imply about July as a person?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,023 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample