Born a Crime

Multiple Choice and Long Answer questions create ideal opportunities for whole-book review, unit exam, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. Noah’s mother was deeply Christian, but his grandmother adhered to what system of belief?

A) Xhosa beliefs of ancestor worship and communication

B) Zulu beliefs of ancestor worship and communication

C) Bapedi beliefs of ancestor worship and communication

D) Tsonga beliefs of ancestor worship and communication

2. Noah likens his relationship with his mother to that of what famous cartoon duo?

A) Bert and Ernie

B) Shaggy and Scooby

C) Tom and Jerry

D) Pinky and the Brain

3. During South African apartheid, the government required all people to register their race (Chapter 2). Which of the following is NOT a legal category of race, per this system?

A) “Black”

B) “Colored”

C) “White”

D) “Tribal”

4. Early in their relationship, what was the proposition that Noah’s mother (Patricia) made to Noah’s father (Robert) that convinced him to impregnate her even though he did not want to have children.

A) If Robert impregnates her, Patricia will pay him one third of her ICI salary for the next year.

B) If Robert impregnates her, Patricia will never tell a soul who the real father is—not even her family or closest friends.

C) If Robert impregnates her, Patricia will not ask Robert’s help in raising the child.

D) If Robert impregnates her, Patricia will pretend it is an immaculate conception, to garner them both wealth and fame.

5. In Soweto, who does Noah identify as the family matriarch that “ran the house, looked after the kids, did the cooking and the cleaning” (Chapter 3)?

A) Noah’s mother, Patricia

B) Noah’s grandmother, Frances

C) Noah’s great-grandmother, Koko

D) Noah’s aunt, Annika

6. In Chapter 6, Noah recalls his mother saying that he would frequently behave a certain way. Which adjective best describes how Noah’s mother would describe that behavior?

A) Honest

B) Selfish

C) Silly

D) Humble

7. What is the name of Noah’s mother’s two Maltese/bull terrier puppies?

A) Fufi and Pink Panther

B) Fufu and Wile E. Coyote

C) Zan and Elmer Fudd

D) Pon and Mickey Mouse

8. What is a “tuck-shop”?

A) A store where students can buy school supplies

B) A little stand where games and toys are sold to school kids

C) A small canteen, where many students buy their lunch

D) A shop that sells drug paraphernalia, similar to a headshop in the United States

9. Noah’s best friend Teddy is caught stealing at the mall, and the mall security footage shows Noah standing right alongside Teddy during the crime. Why does the principal not recognize Noah as the person standing next to Teddy in the video?

A) Because Noah was wearing a hat that concealed his face

B) Because Noah was wearing a mask that concealed his face

C) Because the principal has an allergy that makes it difficult for him to see that day

D) Because the principal thought the person standing next to Teddy was white

10. One of Noah’s classmates, named Bolo, sells what contraband item at the tuck-shop?

A) Bootleg DVDs

B) Bootleg CDs

C) Cigarettes

D) Alcohol

11. What is a “cheese boy”?

A) A guide, usually a child, who walks you through Alexandra’s dairy farms

B) A person who can afford cheese, which is a symbol of status

C) A person who knows all the best dance clubs in Cape Town

D) A back-up dancer who knows the move known as “the cheese-wiz”

12. When the police break up a party that Noah is DJ’ing in Lombardy East, how do they effectively destroy his career?

A) They put his name on a watchlist of criminals so he’s blacklisted from work.

B) The collect all his identification papers, so he is no longer authorized to work.

C) They shoot his computer monitor, making him lose all of his music, which is the heart of his business.

D)  They report him to South Africa’s Better Business Bureau.

13. Which of the following is not one of the tactics Noah’s mother used to discipline him, as described in Chapter 17?

A) Tough love

B) Time-outs

C) Lectures

D)  Punishment

14. Rather than hang out in Alexandra, a tough neighborhood, Noah’s mom wants Noah to hang out with whom and where?

A) His uncle in Cape Town

B) His oldest brother in Soweto

C) His cousin at university

D) His aunt at church

15. Noah’s stepfather, Abel, suffers from what kind of addiction?

A) Alcohol

B) Cigarette

C) Heroin

D) Marijuana

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating text details to support your response.

1. Noah says that the “architects of apartheid” understood that sharing a language sends the message to everyone who speaks that language that “we’re the same.” On the other hand, a language barrier sends the message “we’re different.” What example does Noah call attention to in Chapter 3 that demonstrates how the apartheid government used this principle to pit Black South Africans against one another?

2. Noah writes that apartheid government used “colored” people to “sow confusion, hatred, and mistrust” (Chapter 9). What does he mean by this?