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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 the story of Ali The Persian, bread, a lemon, cheese, and olives are found where?

2. Who does King Shahryar send to give gifts to his brother?

3. Why does the poor man take the dog's bowl to the market?

4. In The Tale of the Three Apples, what did the woman's husband bring her when she was ill?

5. What does Lady Zubaydah order her staff to do to look as though they are mourning Kut's death?

Short Essay Questions

1. What humorous fact is revealed in regards to the two men fighting for the bag in Ali The Persian?

2. What could one say might be the moral of this story in The Tale of The Birds And The Beasts And The Carpenter?

3. In the story of Nur Al-Din Ali And His Son Al-Din Hasan, how does Shahrazad continue to work towards her goal of convincing King Shahhryar to change his beliefs about women?

4. In The Sweep and The Noble Lady, how did the Emir's pardon of the sweep seem just, although it was not the ultimate punishment (death)?

5. What kind of a character is the hermit in The Hermits?

6. What does Shahrazad teach the king through The Sweep and The Noble Lady?

7. In The Story of King Shahryar and His Brother, the tale within a tale about the fisherman and the Jinni demonstrates the power of what kind of belief system?

8. What might Shahrazad be suggesting through her tale to the king in The Hermits?

9. In Hatim Of the Tribe of Tayy, how does this story blur the lines between the living and the dead?

10. How is Shahrazad able to hint at the king's faults through this story of The City of Many-Columned Iram and Abdullah Son of Abi Kalibah indirectly?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In The Tale of Kamar Al-Zaman, Kamar and Budur not only played great human/mortal part to make their life together possible, but a string of seemingly unforeseen events also play a part in their stories/lives, which gives the listener the feel that both human intention and fate play a part in people's lives. How do other characters in other tales continue to bring this concept home to the king of the interconnectedness between fate, human decisions, and devotion to Allah?

Please choose from these stories:

1. Hatim and The Tribe of Tayy

2. The Hermit

3. Sindbad the Seaman and Sindbad the Landsman

4. The Tale of the Birds and the Beasts and the Carpenter

Essay Topic 2

Shahrazad is clearly an ingenious, persistent, and indelible character in The Arabian Nights and to the people of Persia, both in the book and through the book. Identify the stories she tells that you would find most poignant and pertinent to the People of Persia at the time this book was originally published. Write an essay arguing for the stories that may have been the most important and memorable for the people of the times, and why.

Draw hypotheses and conclusions specifically regarding:

A. What you have learned about Islamic culture/religion.

B. The ages of the stories.

C. The morals offered up in each story.

D. The way by which the stories are told (i.e. fables, humor-based, character sympathy, etc.).

Essay Topic 3

In Ma'aruf the Cobbler and His Wife Fatimah it is shown that one cannot fully escape the past, as proven when Ma'aruf spends most of his life as far away from his wicked wife as possible. Using examples from this story and any others found germane enough to prove the argument, explore in an essay just how Shahrazad uses the workings of fate, and the idea that one cannot escape past evil deeds, to her advantage.

(see the answer keys)

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