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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. Who does Lester call with the two phone calls he is permitted to make?

2. Why doesn't Behrani attempt to explain events to Lester while he seems weak?

3. Why doesn't Behrani call an ambulance when they find Kathy has ingested pills?

4. What does Lester try to convince Kathy to do now that they have held the Behrani family overnight?

5. Why does the guard advise Lester not to reveal his occupation?

Short Essay Questions

1. Kathy says that she only has one hope now while she's waiting for Lester to return. What does she hope?

2. Why does Kathy go sit in the car to wait for Lester to return? Why doesn't she stay inside the house?

3. What is nazr?

4. Nadereh berates Behrani while he repairs her mother's table, but he lets her insults "pass over like training jets with no ammunition." Why doesn't he respond to her tirade, and what does she finally say that causes him to enter the argument?

5. Although Lester believes Behrani's story, he becomes angry again when Behrani describes Kathy as "drunk." Behrani is angry at Lester when he sees him studying his photo with the shah. How are these two moments similar?

6. After Esmail has been shot, the shooting officer looks at Lester. He needs a critical piece of information and Lester doesn't have it, either. What is that piece of information?

7. Why doesn't Behrani attempt to negotiate with Lester when he breaks in and holds them at gunpoint?

8. Why does Lester feel like a fraud?

9. When Lester asks Kathy whether she really wanted to die, what does she answer and why is this answer important?

10. Behrani says that he sometimes believes he is being punished. What does he think he is being punished for, and how is this similar to Kathy's feelings?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

We are not told that Kathy is beautiful, but there are several instances of responses to her from men, including bystanders and passing motorists. What do these responses tell you about her? What does Lester's response to her tell you about her? In your opinion, would the story have been different if Kathy's appearance was different? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

Dubus has written a story with powerful themes. A theme is the author's main idea, or purpose in telling the tale. What do you believe Dubus is trying to teach us as his readers? Support your thesis with ideas or facts from the story.

Essay Topic 3

Events in Iran many years before the opening of this story shape the thinking of the characters in the present. The photo of Behrani with the shah is an important symbol in this story. In this essay, consider the effect of the photo on Nadereh, on Soraya, on Soraya's in-laws, on Lester, on Kathy, and on Behrani himself. Use quotations from the story in each instance.

(see the answer keys)

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