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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 does Mistress Emerson order Mr. Harris to do to Darlene?

2. What area does Callum think of as a source of Nanni's power?

3. Where does Callum Aragon travel in Part II?

4. How does Callum kill Nanni?

5. Who tries to get into the room to comfort Darlene when she is force to have an abortion?

Short Essay Questions

1. What lie does Callum Aragon tell Nanni and Norman for many years?

2. Why do Darlene and Master Emerson have a terrible fight?

3. Who is the only one in the village that shows kindness to Gbessa, and why does this person do so?

4. What do Gbessa and some of the other Lai villagers associate the appearance of the moon with?

5. What happens to Charlotte at Emerson's plantation that she thinks accounts for other slaves shunning her?

6. Who ends up taking care of June Dey and why?

7. What does Gbessa encounter in the road in Part I that nearly kills her?

8. What refrain does Gbessa say repeatedly to herself?

9. Why does Callum shoot at both Nanni and Norman?

10. In reality, why do all the other slaves ignore Charlotte Emerson?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Why do you think Moore begins Gbessa's story in this novel with the aftermath of Gbessa's poisonous snake bite, and how does this choice set the reader's expectation for the rest of the novel? Write an essay explaining your answers.

Essay Topic 2

What significant trait/desire do both Safua and June Dey share in relation to how they feel about their duty towards their people? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 3

What does Darlene's final altercation with Mistress Emerson reveal about the deeper truths of the dehumanization and brutality white slave owners visited upon slaves? Write an essay explaining your answers.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 618 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample