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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. According to the First Kalandar, when he returned to his kingdom for the first time, he found what?

2. Each Kalandar is...

3. When the King of Himyar awoke, what did he find?

4. Of the men questioned by the Three Ladies of Baghdad, who was known to have loved sailing the seas?

5. How much money does the Emir end up paying for the Badawi's cucumbers after all bargaining is completed?

Short Essay Questions

1. 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)?

2. What qualities does the Caliph show through his actions towards the sisters and princes in the Porter and The Three Ladies of Baghdad?

3. 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?

4. How might Shahrazad's tale in The Tale of The Three Apples whittle away at the king's assumption that all women are faithless and untrustworthy?

5. How in the Tale of Ghanim in Ayyub, The Distraught, The Thrall O'Love does Shahrazad strive to replace King Shahryar's distrust of women with doubt over his belief?

6. In the story of The Ruined Man Who Became Rich Again Through A Dream, Shahrazad reminds King Shahryar that a life lived in faith is rewarding. Why is this an important reminder from Shahrazad to the king?

7. What message through the story is meant for the King from Shahrazad in The City of Many-Columned Iram and Abdullah Son of Abi Kalibah?

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

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

10. What is one moral implied by Shahrazad in the Tale of Ghanim in Ayyub, The Distraught, The Thrall O'Love?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

In Abu Kir The Dyer And Abu Sir The Barber, the character of goodness in Abu Sir saves him from the evil actions of his false friend Abu Kir. All lies clearly become revealed in time, and as the saying goes, time heals all wounds. Write an essay outlining and explaining the ways in which the lessons stated above are acted out and proven throughout Abu Kir The Dyer And Abu Sir The Barber.

Essay Topic 3

In the story of The Angel of Death With The Proud King And The Devout Man, a wealthy man lived for his own glory while the devout man lived for God, so each man faced death differently: one as loss, the other as gain. The moral lesson is not about wealth or poverty, but about the character of a man. In short, wealth and position are meaningless in the next world because one cannot take his possessions to the grave. Citing specific examples from the tale as your supporting evidence, explore and explain how this tale flies in the face of the cultural and social beliefs of the day.

(see the answer keys)

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