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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. In "If You Were a Horse," why is the father afraid of his son?

2. In "The Land of Sad Oranges," what does the father do immediately after he declares what he wants to do?

3. What does the mother hand the father in "The Land of Sad Oranges"?

4. In "The Land of Sad Oranges," what kind of reaction does the object the mother hands to the father incite?

5. In "The Land of Sad Oranges," what happens to the narrator and his family?

Short Essay Questions

1. In "The Land of Sad Oranges," how does the army affect the father's mental state in two extremes?

2. How is all the foreshadowing of death fulfilled in the end of "Men in the Sun"?

3. What does the son realize at the end of "If You Were a Horse"?

4. In "The Land of Sad Oranges," when a child requests something from his father, what happens?

5. What does the orange look like at the end of "The Land of Sad Oranges," and what does it represent at the end?

6. Why are the kids sent to the hills so often in "The Land of Sad Oranges"?

7. What does Abul Khaizarun compare the road from Basra to Kuwait as, and why is this ironic?

8. Why does the father resent Abu Muhammad?

9. In "If You Were a Horse," why does the father refuse to allow his son to perform his surgery?

10. In "The Land of Sad Oranges," why does the father come up with the murderous idea?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

"Men in the Sun" portrays different characters trying to get better opportunities for themselves and their families. How do the characters strive for better lives, specifically? Where do the men want to go for better opportunities? Describe the journey to get there. Remember to answer each question with evidence from the story.

Essay Topic 2

In "Letter from Gaza," the narrator originally had different plans, but then his perspective changed, as well as his plans. How does the narrator's perspective change? Why does it change? Why is he able to see something so clearly that he has not seen before? Remember to answer each question with evidence from the story.

Essay Topic 3

"Letter from Gaza" is the story in the collection that most prominently displays the effects of war. Name and describe three effects of war displayed in the story. How do they influence the characters? Remember to answer each question with evidence from the story.

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