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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. Why does the king fear marrying Sogolon?

2. Which of the following characters is the griot of Sundiata's story?

3. Why is Sassouma jealous of Sogolon?

4. Why does Sogolon believe Djata does not speak with other children?

5. What is the weather like when Sogolon first goes into labor?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Sundiata react to the reunification with Nana Triban, and what steps does he take to bring the land of Mali back together?

2. What is a griot?

3. When the hunter gives the king his fortune, what does he say?

4. How does Sassouma try to convince the nine witches to kill Sundiata?

5. How does the king respond to the hunter who makes him an offering?

6. Why do the people of Mali flood to Soumaoro's old land, and what do they steal from his store houses?

7. How does Sundiata's life change as he matures into a full-grown man in Mema?

8. Why does Sundiata go into exile?

9. How were Nana Triban and Sundiata reunited?

10. How does Sundiata strip Soumaoro of his magical powers?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Although Sundiata had many siblings, there were three who had the largest impact on his life - Nana Triban, Manding Bory, and Dankaran. Breifly describe each of Sundiata's three siblings, and explain how each sibling irrevocably altered Sundiata's life, either for better or worse.

Essay Topic 2

Even though it had been his lifelong ambition to overthrow Soumaoro, Sundiata leaves the disgraced sorcerer to finish off his days hiding in a cave. Create a time line of events for the changing relationship between Sundiata and Soumaoro. Then, explain how the legacy of Sundiata is altered by his decision to have mercy on Soumaoro and let him live.

Essay Topic 3

Jealousy is one of the most focused on themes of "Sundiata" and there are many lessons to learn on this topic. Briefly describe two characters in the book who are jealous of Sundiata. How do these characters express their jealousy? At the end of the book, how are the jealous actions of these two characters rewarded or punished? What lesson is there to be learned about jealousy through the characters of the book?

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