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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why do Isaac Burg and Jacob Hausner agree that the time has come to give no orders?

2. How does Benjamin Dobkin kill Sayid Talib?

3. What is the problem when Benjamin Dobkin makes telephone contact with Jerusalem?

4. Why does Teddy Laskov forbid David Becker to move the Concorde?

5. What has David Becker done throughout the standoff?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Peter Kahn's biggest concern throughout the ordeal?

2. How have the attackers improved their tactics for the second attack?

3. Once radio contact is established, why doesn't Teddy Laskov ask David Becker if Miriam Bernstein is still alive?

4. Why does the Prime Minister decide to ask the Americans to do the air reconnaissance mission over Iraq?

5. Why does Ahmed Rish have to wash his face and hands after his interrogation of Deborah Gideon?

6. Why does Benjamin Dobkin have a sense of deja vu when he enters by the Ishtar Gate?

7. Why does Benjamin Dobkin initially direct is call to Athens, and then change his mind?

8. Which countries are now involved in the events in Babylon?

9. How and when was Jeremiah's prophecy fulfilled that said, "The sea shall come up upon Babylon; she is covered with the multitude of the waves thereof"?

10. Why does Salem Hamadi understand that their attempt at getting money by taking the passengers of the Concorde 02 is over whether they win or lose the assault?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What do you make of the fact that even hardened warriors like Jacob Hausner can quote from the Talmud by heart or that even a villain like Ahmed Rish believes in the ancient Babylonian god of wind and death? In your essay, discuss the effect of belonging to an ancient civilization on the modern characters in this story.

Essay Topic 2

Transformation is a theme in this story. Many characters undergo significant changes. In your essay, select two characters (apart from Jacob Hausner and Miriam Bernstein) who are not the same in the return flight as they were when the story began. Discuss the causes and effects of the changes they have undergone.

Essay Topic 3

The kheffiyah (keffiyah) plays an important role in this story, as it both identifies and disguises characters. Write an essay explaining how an article of clothing can carry such weight of identity. Use scenes from the story in which characters either identify or disguise themselves to make your point.

(see the answer keys)

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