View a FREE sample

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

Short Answer Questions

1. Who does Jakob send to Nella after being told about Pieter's arrest and the charges?

2. Why does Kappie refuse to call Pieter by his first name?

3. How many people went on the family picnic that Pieter's dad had announced?

4. Who thought that neither Pieter nor Nella had ever been safe in love?

5. Who came and told Sophie someone was dead?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Paton uses this story to convey a disdain for the apartheid in South Africa. Cite specific details from the story that demonstrate this disdain, an indictment of such hatred and bigotry, as well as providing how such affected the story and its characters' "realness."

Essay Topic 2

Several times Pieter decides to confide in various people but does not. How does this affect the story? What is his relationship with each of them before he is found out and after he is found out?

Essay Topic 3

Several people make decisions in the first few chapters of the story (Pieter, Nella, Dick, Stephanie, Esther). What do these decisions reveal about each of these characters? What do these decisions reveal about the society in which they live? How do any of these decisions serve as an early indicator of what is to come in the story?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 235 words (approx. 1 page at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample