View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What do the two strangers at the bus stop give to Tambu in Chapter 8?

2. What does Tambu notice about Mai Manyanga that is different in the first part of Chapter 5?

3. What crime does Shine commit in Mai Manyanga's house?

4. Who is Mai Manyanga's youngest son?

5. Who is the head of Tambu's new workplace in Chapter 7?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is Tambu unable to actually meet Widow Riley in Chapter 1?

2. Who is Tambu shocked to see again at the mental health institution?

3. What kind of creature does Tambu routinely find herself brushing off of herself in moments of tension or irritation?

4. Why is Mako so upset in Chapter 5?

5. Why does Tambu's respect for Aunt Lucia grow in Chapter 12?

6. Who does Tambu think she sees in the club in Chapter 7 and why does she react so belligerently to this idea?

7. In Chapter 1, how would you describe Tambu's relationship with the other women in her hostel?

8. What does Tambu's cousin Nyasha do for work?

9. Why does Christine come to Mai Manyanga's in Chapter 5?

10. What is the family saying Tambu recalls in the beginning of Chapter 3 as she contemplates what has happened to Gertrude?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What does Tambu's ultimately unsuccessful plot to ensnare and eventually marry one of Mrs. Manyanga's sons reveal about the options and status of Zimbabwean women? Write an essay exploring this topic, citing specific references to the text.

Essay Topic 2

Consider the titles of the three main sections of the novel: Ebbing, Suspended, and Arriving. Write an essay analyzing how these three titles embody the topics, tone, and actions in each of the sections. Also discuss how the sections fit together.

Essay Topic 3

What does Aunt Lucia's security agency, where Tambu ultimately ends up working in the end of the novel, symbolize? Write an essay discussing how Aunt Lucia's experiences in the war are related to her decision to start a security agency.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 610 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample