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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 do Camara and his friends play with while he's in Tindican?

2. Who embraces Camara when he arrives in Tindican?

3. Why do parents send their children to Camara's father?

4. Which animals are abundant in the river when the water rises?

5. What is the color of the special snake Camara finds one day?

Short Essay Questions

1. One day, Camara finds a little black snake with a strikingly marked body. What is special about this snake?

2. What does the second half of the reapers' days look like?

3. After the snake encounter, Camara finds it amusing to yell to his mother, "There's a snake!" How does his mother react when he yells like this?

4. Who is Sidafa, and what do you know about him?

5. Describe Camara's school clothes when he is a child. How does Camara feel about these clothes while in Tindican?

6. How is the special black snake involved with Camara's father's gold work?

7. Where are Camara's parents' huts located, and what are the consequences of living in that location?

8. Describe the douga. What is its association to Camara's father's gold work?

9. When Camara arrives in Tindican as a child, how does his grandmother react?

10. What does Camara's grandmother's hut look like?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe Camara's transition from childhood to manhood. How does this manifest in the book? How does this transition affect his position in his family? Give supporting evidence from the chapter. How does this transition further the plot? What is the author trying to point out with this episode? How has the character of Camara changed? How does his transition affect his mother?

Essay Topic 2

In chapter 7 Konden Diara is introduced. What or who is Konden Diara? What does he represent? Relate Konden Diara to the rite of passage. Describe his presence in detail, using supporting evidence from chapter 7. How does he influence the boys' feelings? What do they know about him? Does he show up during the ritual? How? When? What is the secret behind him?

Essay Topic 3

In chapter 3 Camara's school clothes are a theme worth discussing. Why? How do they look? Why does this cause friction for Camara. Why is this difference with his friends so important for the plot? Are these clothes an issue in Kouroussa? Why? Why not? Explore this theme with supporting evidence provided in this chapter.

(see the answer keys)

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