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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. How old is the narrator?

2. What does Madam Aniema do to the soldier to calm him down?

3. What had a girl named Hadiya told Selam at school one day?

4. Selam's parents have given her permission to eat ___________________.

5. The narrator and her best friend ______________________.

Short Essay Questions

1. Why are the narrator and Selam no longer allowed to play together?

2. How had Jubril lost his right hand and why is it important for him to hide that fact while on the bus?

3. Who is Jubril and why must he disguise his religious identity aboard a bus headed out of the city?i

4. What does the narrator experience on the day her parents inform her she can no longer play with Selam?

5. How is the story, "What Language is That"? different from the other stories in this book?

6. What ban by the Nigerian government takes place just prior to the opening of the story, "Luxurious Hearses"?

7. How do the narrator and Selam find a way to communicate with each other when they are not allowed to play together?

8. What does the narrator do during the days after being restricted from playing with Selam?

9. Why are the passengers on the bus infused with a sense of urgency?

10. What is notable about the story "What Language is That?"

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explain why Akpan decided to tell these stories from the point of view of children. Are the events in the stories especially horrifying because the innocence of children is involved?

Essay Topic 2

Explain the role of women in Africa in the late-20th century when the women in the stories are living their lives. What precedents do they feel compelled to follow? What restrictions do they have? What freedoms did they have that 21st century women do not have?

Essay Topic 3

Create a character study of Monique in "My Parents' Bedroom (Rwanda)". What are her physical characteristics? What are her motivations? What are her fears? What are her dreams? What else can you say about Monique?

(see the answer keys)

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