View a FREE sample

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

Short Answer Questions

1. To whom does Khalifah sell his first fish?

2. How does Shahrazad plead for the king's mercy?

3. In Sindbad The Seaman And Sindbad The Landsman, the first Sindbad introduced stops to pray in front of what?

4. In the story of How Abu Hasan Broke Wind, what is the great celebration Abu Hasan is throwing?

5. Why does Princess Dunya ask the Sultan to wait for four months and ten days before she will accept him?

Short Essay Questions

1. Consider the saying, "The clothes maketh the man." How is this proven in Alaedddin: Or, The Wonderful Lamp?

2. How is Abu Kir's life like his business in Abu Kir The Dyer And Abu Sir The Barber?

3. In this tale of Ali Baba And The Forty Thieves, Shahrazad presents a servant girl as the hero. What may be the point of this story for Shahrazad in light of the king's attitude towards women?

4. Consider the saying "One cannot fully escape the past." How is this saying proven in Ma'aruf The Cobbler And His Wife Fatimah?

5. What is the relationship between the Allah and the Caliph in regards to which has the most power in Khalifah The Fisherman of Baghdad?

6. Why might it be in Shahrazad's interests to decide to tell this story to the king in The City of Brass?

7. In the Conclusion, King Shahryar's legacy began bloody and ended in peace and prosperity thanks to the gifted storyteller, Shahrazad. Through her stories and her love she changes the heart of the king and her stories live on through the generations. What kind of a reminder can this conclusion offer to humanity on the whole?

8. What is the moral lesson about in The Angel of Death With The Proud King And The Devout Man?

9. In Khalifah The Fisherman of Baghdad, the reader witnesses the Caliph dispense mercy and cruelty with the whim of someone raised in a position of such absolute power that it distances him from the suffering of the common people, much like the fisherman Khalifah. How could this part of the story relate to Shahrazad's goal of changing the king's ways?

10. Explore the ironic moments of this story in The Lady And Her Five Suitors.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The City of Many-Columned Iram and Abdullah Son of Abi Kalibah, is unique in that King Shahsyar's faults are pointed out to him by a woman. But, unlike a court jester who can mock a king directly to point out his faults, Shahrazad has to hint at King Shahryar's faults through the stories of other kings with faults. Please write an essay on the facts/life situations Shahrazad must keep in mind throughout her entire experience with her king. In your intro, choose the adjective you use to describe how she must be with great care, and use them to back up your arguments.

Keep in mind:

The role of women in society at the time these stories were compiled.

The specific situation Shahrazad is in until the end of the book.

OR

After reading the above essay assignment, write a similar essay on what a similar/parallel situation might be for a woman to do something like this in present day, and the situational challenges she might face in similarity and/or difference to Shahrazad.

Essay Topic 2

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.

Essay Topic 3

As the reader may have noticed from the beginning, the style of The Arabian Nights possesses unique characteristics in many ways. One is in regard to the fact that frame stories are used consistently throughout the entire piece. In an essay, and keeping in mind the fact that typical Western literary devices are not used in this novel, please provide insight as to how the use of framing stories is an invaluable tool to:

1. The author.

2. The character of Shahrazad.

3. Sindbad.

Please feel free to use any historical information you may now know about the history and background of certain stories in The Arabian Nights. Do create an introductory theme to your essay, tying all evidences together under one argument.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,429 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample