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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 is the language similarity between Hebrew and Arabic ironic?

2. Why does Teddy Laskov show the colors to the passengers on the C-130s?

3. Who does the report say freed the defenders?

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

5. Why does Miriam Bernstein think Jacob Hausner stayed behind?

Short Essay Questions

1. What advantages does the Sherji, the hot desert wind, give to the attackers?

2. How does the guard recognize that Benjamin Dobkin is not an Ashbal?

3. Who suffered disproportionately during the captivity, and why?

4. Why does Miriam Bernstein believe the role of the scribe is so important?

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

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

7. To what does Major Bartok eventually attribute the successful defense of Concorde 02?

8. Why does Miriam Bernstein believe that Jacob Hausner wanted to stay behind?

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

10. What incentives do the young Ashbal fighters have that they did not have during the first attack?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The quotation of scriptural prophecies create the impression that DeMille wants readers to see the characters in this story as part of Biblical prophecy. In your essay, analyze whether these characters see themselves as part of a long history or as isolated participants in a single event, alone and unsupported in the larger world. Use quotations from the story to substantiate your opinion.

Essay Topic 2

Tone is the way the author feels about his subject. DeMille's tone ranges from the deeply poetic and meaningful Bible passages he quotes to bloody scenes of torture. In your essay, analyze the tone of this story. How do you think DeMille feels about the political forces behind the action in this story? How can you tell?

Essay Topic 3

Jacob Hausner comes to hope that Teddy Laskov will continue to be Miriam Bernstein's lover. This hope seems a strange one for a man in love. Why do you think that Jacob Hausner would want another man to take his place with the woman he loves? What personal characteristics would he need to feel that kind of hope? In your essay, describe the changes that the events in this story have caused in Jacob Hausner.

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