Question

Quiz: Cry the Beloved Country H Assessment items Read the passage. excerpt from Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton Outside there is singing, singing round a fire. It is Nkosi sikelel’ iAfrika that they sing. God Save Africa. God save this piece of Africa that is my own, delivered in travail from my body, fed from my breast, loved by my heart, because that is the nature of women. Oh, lie quietly, little one. Which statement best explains the effect of the language in this excerpt? The reference to a “little one” makes readers feel as though they are listening to a nursery rhyme and evokes the narrator’s childlike sense of wonder. The repetition of the word “singing” makes the excerpt melodic and rhythmic, transporting the reader into a mysterious place. The use of traditional African language to name the song, “Nkosi sikelel’ iAfrika," transports readers to the setting of the story and gives it a heightened authenticity. The description of “God Save Africa” as a song about a mother and a child suggests to readers that the conflict in the novel is really between people of different generations. Assessment navigation 1 2 3 4 5 6

Answer 1

The statement that best explains the effect of the language in this excerpt is that "The description of “God Save Africa” as a song about a mother and a child suggests to readers that the conflict in the novel is really between people of different generations."

Answer 2

The use of traditional African language to name the song, “Nkosi sikelel’ iAfrika," transports readers to the setting of the story and gives it a heightened authenticity.

This is the best option because the mention of this foreign name of the song helps the reader to place themselves where the narrative takes place, and consequently, be more involved in the narrator's feelings and words. Furthermore, the name heightens the piece of writing's authenticity because it evokes in the reader a feeling that the name is truthful to its African origins, and all that it involves (culture, people, circumstances).