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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. When Kamuza returns to Colesberg, what does he come back as?

2. When Jordan delivers the statue to its new owner, Jordan is offered a job. What job is Jordan offered?

3. According to the Digger's Committee, what is the wage Zouga is allowed to pay his men?

4. Who congratulates the nameless man on a "job well done"?

5. Before embarking on the journey to Colesberg, how many years does Zouga spend chasing his grandiose dream?

Short Essay Questions

1. After Zouga nurses his boys back to health, he becomes increasingly anxious to begin working on his claims. Why?

2. How does Zouga characterize Mungo St. John when he first shows up in Colesberg?

3. What first attracted Zouga's wife to Zouga?

4. What most surprises Zouga when he first arrives in Colesberg?

5. When Jordan asks Zouga why they can't just keep the sculpture, how does Zouga respond to Jordan?

6. As Zouga prepares to keep the rendezvous with the nameless man, why is Zouga desperate?

7. Why do the Matabele typically keep their treasures buried under the floor in their huts?

8. When the tribal warriors first reach the diamond claim, what does Jan Cheroot have to show them?

9. Describe what married life was like for Zouga's wife.

10. On the way to deliver the statue, Jordan entertains the notion of running away with it. Why does Jordan end up delivering the statue?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Throughout the story, there are several attempted characters that either die or are killed.

a. Identify three characters that do not survive until the end of the novel. Describe each character and the circumstances surrounding their deaths.

b. Compare and contrast the characters that do not survive. What does the author have to gain by killing these characters off? What, if anything, does the author lose?

c. How would the story have changed if one or more of your identified characters had survived?

Essay Topic 2

Compare and contrast the characteristics, roles, loyalties, and agendas of the following people in the story: Zouga Ballantyne, Mungo St. John, King Lobengula, Boza, and Ralph Ballantyne.

Essay Topic 3

One of the main themes in this novel involves honor.

a. Identify three characters that are honorable in their actions. For each character, describe an instance in which the character acted honorably.

b. Why do these characters try to do the honorable thing?

c. What is the outcome for these characters? Were they successful in their endeavors, or would they have been more successful if they had not taken the honorable route? Explain your answer.

(see the answer keys)

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