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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 the General commission Jacob to do?

2. Who sits next to Thandi on the bus?

3. Who draws Jacob a diagram of an engine?

4. What is Thandi's first job of out school?

5. Who stays above the dam and rocks the rope?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who falls out of a tree at the end of the chapter "Thandiwe"?

2. Who is Salina?

3. Who does Thandi meet on a flight?

4. Who teaches Jacob to read?

5. Where does Naila work after university?

6. Who takes over the SOTP rally?

7. What does Naila do in the dam?

8. What does Agnes ask Joseph to help her find?

9. Who in Naila's family dies?

10. What happens when Thandi meets Agnes Banda?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay in which you examine the physical struggles that come with being a woman as they are presented in the novel. Which women are hindered somehow by some kind of physical or medical ailment, and how does this hindrance affect their lives and understandings of themselves as people? Use evidence from the text to explain your thoughts.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay in which you examine the significance of hair in the novel. Why is hair important for several characters, and across several generations? What function does hair serve in the novel, narratively and figuratively? Use evidence from the text to explain your thoughts.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay in which you examine the structure of the novel. What is the effect of writing this particular story this way? What does the presence of a third-person, omniscient narrator and chapter endings narrated by a swarm of mosquitoes do to propel the narrative forward, or emphasize important themes? Use evidence from the text to explain your thoughts.

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This section contains 515 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample