Deck 3: Cry the Beloved Country - Alan Paton

Question 1

Which of the following men is not a priest in the novel, Cry the Beloved Country?

A)Msimangu
B)Father Vincent
C)Mr. Carmichael
D)Kumalo

Answer 1

Mr. Carmichael

Question 2

What money does Kumalo use for his trip to Johannesburg?

A)The money he and his wife have been saving for Absalom's schooling
B)The money he had been saving to build a Church
C)Money given to him by Jarvis
D)Money given to him by Msimangu

Answer 2

The money he and his wife have been saving for Absalom's schooling

Question 3

Why don't black mine workers bring their families to Johannesburg?

A)Johannesburg is too dangerous for wives and children
B)Their families prefer to stay in the rural villages
C)There is no housing for the families
D)The mine workers prefer to live alone

Answer 3

There is no housing for the families

Question 4

Why are the village children dying in, Cry, The Beloved Country?

A)They lack milk
B)They lack bread
C)They lack medicine
D)They lack water

Question 5

Who orchestrates the building of Shanty Town?

A)Tomlinson
B)Dubula
C)Arthur Jarvis
D)John Kumalo

Question 6

Why did Absalom's wife run away from home?

A)She wanted to work by herself
B)She was pregnant and did not want anyone to find out
C)She fought with her brothers
D)Her mother drank too much and did not get along with her stepfather

Question 7

Where are Absalom and Kumalo finally reunited?

A)At the prison
B)At the mission's house
C)In Shanty Town
D)In the courtroom

Question 8

What is the central message of the novel, Cry, The Beloved Country?

A)Devastation
B)Hope
C)Comedic joyfulness
D)Fate of the miners

Question 9

Cry, the Beloved Country is principally about

A)man's responsibility in society
B)superiority of men over women
C)crime and punishment in Johannesburg
D)racial discrimination in South Africa

Question 10

Who was Absalom's lawyer?

A)Mr. Harrison
B)Mr. Carmichael
C)Father Vincent
D)James Jarvis

Question 11

Why were the children dying in Paton's novel Cry, the Beloved Country?

A)they lack water
B)they lack shelter
C)they lack medicine
D)they lack milk

Question 12

What happens to Gertrude at the end of the novel?

A)She commits suicide
B)She returned to Ndotsheni
C)She returns to prostitution
D)She became a nun

Question 13

Umfundisi in Cry, the Beloved Country means

A)Goodbye
B)Parson
C)Brother
D)Judge

Question 14

Of which religion is the Rev. Kumalo a clergyman?

A)Episcopelian
B)Methodist
C)Roman Catholic
D)Anglican

Question 15

Who is the co-defendant to Absalom Kumalo when he is awaiting trial for murder?

A)Cousin
B)Uncle
C)Brother
D)Grandfather

Question 16

Rev. Stephen Kumalo's brother John Kumalo's occupation is

A)bus driver
B)lawyer
C)doctor
D)carpenter

Question 17

Stephen Kumalo goes to Johannesburg because

A)he has been summoned by the bishop of his diocese
B)he has been subpoenaed to appear in court
C)to take part in the growing protest over racial injustice
D)his sister Gertrude is sick

Question 18

Above Stephen Kumalo's village there is a farm owned by a white family. What is this farm called?

A)White Farm
B)Animal Farm
C)High Place
D)Diepkloof

Question 19

From which European language did Afrikaans, one of the two major South African languages, develop?

A)Dutch
B)German
C)English
D)Italian

Question 20

When James Jarvis goes through his son Arthur's possessions he notes the prevalence of a certain American president in his sons' books and writings. Which president is this?

A)Abraham Lincoln
B)George Washington
C)Franklin Delano Roosevelt
D)Thomas Jefferson

Question 21

One of the most forceful themes of Cry the Beloved Country is Paton's pairing of the Native (black) peoples' condition with that of what?

A)the economy
B)the land
C)the sea
D)the overall welfare of tribes across the African continent

Question 22

In keeping with Cry, the Beloved Country's theme of young people leaving their villages for work or for other purposes, where do most of them end up, besides the city slums?

A)crews building the railroad
B)the mines
C)prison
D)America

Question 23

James Jarvis and Stephen Kumalo have both lost their sons. In what way is this signifigant?

A)The two sons were executed together as co-defendants
B)Kumalo's son murdered Jarvis' son
C)They both died in the same traffic accident
D)They were both shot by police in a protest against the racial injustices present in South Africa

Question 24

After Stephen Kumalo has returned to Ndotsheni at the end of the novel, who offers him assistance in revitalizing the village?

A)a neighboring village
B)UNICEF
C)Jarvis
D)the church

Question 25

Stephen Kumalo's sister Gertrude has been supporting herself via illegal means. From which of the following criminal enterprises did she earn her livelihood?

A)extortion
B)counterfeiting money
C)selling illegal alcohol
D)robbery

Question 26

On the day Absolom is scheduled to be executed, Stephen Kumalo goes into the mountains around Ndotsheni to pray. Who does he meet while there?

A)the village chief
B)his wife
C)James Jarvis
D)Arthur Jarvis

Question 27

After returning to Ndotsheni, Stephen Kumalo encounters Arthur Jarvis' son. Later, as a result of his conversation with the boy, the Jarvis farm sends a gift to the village. What is this gift?

A)rice for the people
B)grain for the cows
C)milk for the children
D)seed for the planters

Question 28

Msimangu confides his fear that "by the time the white man learns to love, the black man will have _______________." ?

A)lost all hope
B)mostly died out
C)turned to violence
D)learned to hate

Question 29

When Stephen Kumalo returns from Johannesburg to Ndotsheni, he brings two people with him. Who are these people?

A)his son Absolom and his wife
B)his sister Gertrude and his son Absolom's wife
C)his sister Gertrude's son and his son Absolom's wife
D)his sister Gertrude and her son

Question 30

Napoleon Letsitsi, an agricultural expert hired by James Jarvis to assist the people of Ndotsheni, states that he works for whom?

A)the people of Africa
B)the people who pay his salary
C)the villagers of Ndotsheni
D)the nation of South Africa

Question 31

Obsession over what substance has led many people into a frenzy over the state of their stocks in Cry, the Beloved Country?

A)Coal
B)Gold
C)Oil
D)Opals

Question 32

Stephen first travels by bus from his native district to what city?

A)Fordsburg
B)Ixopo
C)Johannesburg
D)Springs

Question 33

What does Stephen learn about his sister Gertrude when he visits the mission?

A)She has become a nanny for a white family.
B)She has become a prostitute.
C)She has been sent to prison.
D)She has died from a mysterious illness.

Question 34

What is the outcome of Absalom's trial?

A)He is found guilty and sentenced to life in solitary confinement.
B)He is found guilty and sentenced to death.
C)He is found not guilty and set free.
D)His trial is found to be corrupt and must be rescheduled.

Question 35

What natural phenomenon does Alan Paton use to symbolize the wounded African culture?

A)A flock of red birds so thick that it obscures the sun from view
B)Deep cracks appearing in the parched red earth
C)The birth of a baby with pronounced red birth marks covering its torso
D)The erosion of the red soil, which colors the rivers blood red

Question 36

What prevents John Harrison from understanding or imitating the ideals of Arthur Jarvis?

A)John believes that Arthur's son killed his brother.
B)John disagrees with Arthur's religious views.
C)John regards Arthur as too much of a dreamer.
D)John's family is entrenched in a bitter feud with Arthur's family.

Question 37

Where does Stephen meet Dubula?

A)At the bus boycott
B)At the city mission
C)In front of a local church
D)In the alleyways of Shanty Town

Question 38

Which character is not depicted as a man of charity and goodness?

A)Dubula
B)Father Vincent
C)John Kumalo
D)Mr. Carmichael

Question 39

Whose death sends Stephen into a period of such deep despair that he is unable to pray?

A)Absalom Kumalo
B)Arthur Jarvis
C)James Jarvis
D)Reverend Msimangu

Question 40

Why does Stephen feel betrayed by his son Absalom?

A)Absalom has changed his name.
B)Absalom has committed murder.
C)Absalom kidnapped a young girl.
D)Absalom married someone from another tribe.