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TEST 2

1. A
2. C
3. A
4. C
5. A
6. B
7. A
8. B
9. C
10. A
11. The fathers and sons involved are, of course, Stephen and Absalom Kumalo, John and Matthew Kumalo, and James and Arthur Jarvis. One way to respond is to show that there wouldn't be much story if the fathers did not have to face something that happened to sons they loved. Stephen Kumalo grows only through searching for, finding, and losing Absalom. John Kumalo doesn't change, but we would not have seen how shallow he is if we didn't see how he reacts to Matthew's arrest. James Jarvis would never have started to use his wealth to fight social problems if Arthur hadn't been killed. Another way to respond is to show ways all the fathers are alike (Anglicans, raised near Ixopo, love their sons, sons gone from home, etc.), and then show how all the sons are alike (involved with crime, hold views different from their fathers, etc.).

12. Two different approaches are possible here. You could start with members of the Kumalo family and list the problems encountered by each, or you could start by listing problems and then naming the family member whose life is touched by each. In any case, some of the points you might want to include are loss of religious faith (John, Gertrude), loss of the tradition of marital fidelity (John, Gertrude, Absalom's girl), crime caused by poverty and poor housing conditions (Gertrude, Absalom, Matthew), political oppression creating fear in black people (John, toward end of Book II), and so on.

13. You will want to cite the example of dedication shown by Arthur Jarvis' life, and also some of Arthur's beliefs from the middle chapters of Book II-Chapters 19 through 24, in particular. Your answer should also show what, specifically, James Jarvis does to begin to put Arthur's idea into effect in Book III.

14. Msimangu's theories of social reform are presented in Chapter 7 after he and Kumalo talk with John Kumalo. Jarvis' theories appear most forcefully in his essay on the Christian dilemma in Chapter 21. Close reading of both sections will lead you to views the two men hold in common, such as the ultimate power being that of love of country and one's fellowmen, black or white. As for their standing in the community, the fact that Msimangu is highly regarded both by whites and blacks is shown by his effectiveness in obtaining information from factory managers and black people alike. According to the narrator in the chapter on Ezenzeleni, even the government is aware of Msimangu. The newspaper reports and the shocked reactions to Arthur's death easily make clear his standing in the white community.

15. The only reason anyone might dispute this statement is that the book is set some time ago, in the mid-1940s. But roots of present problems always lie in the past, and this novel shows that racial problems in South Africa are not new. More important, the novel would enable the ambassador to experience a black African's point of view. Having read the novel, an ambassador who grasped its themes would be sure to go on to get a factual updating on the present situation as well.

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