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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. What does the deputy guarding Kathy tell her is likely to happen to Lester?

2. Why is Nadereh angry with Behrani after he forces Kathy to leave?

3. How does Behrani react to his wife's leaving the burden of action to him while they are held hostage?

4. What new charges could Behrani bring against Lester now that he is inside their home?

5. Why does Lester believe he will have to tell Alvarez the truth?

Short Essay Questions

1. 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?

2. Why does Lester feel that his gun has become a "burdensome overreaction in the house?"

3. Why does Lester conclude that the Behranis have told him the truth about Kathy's situation?

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

5. Kathy doesn't shower because she doesn't want to clean up, then put on again the clothes she has stolen. How is this a metaphor for her situation now?

6. Lester becomes suspicious of Esmail. What causes this reaction?

7. As Kathy takes the pills to kill herself, how does her attitude toward the Behranis change?

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

9. Why is Kathy's judgment so confused as she drives to the house and parks in the driveway?

10. When Lester describes his feelings during the drive to the county office, he says it is probably the way felons want to feel all the time. How does he say he feels?

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

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.

Essay Topic 3

The main characters in this story are preoccupied with how their actions appear to others. If Nadereh was not concerned about impressing her fellow Iranian expatriates, how might the story have been different? If Deputy Gleason had not stopped Lester to thank him for being such a fine example of a police officer, how might the story have been different? Select one of the characters and explain how their preoccupation with impressing others changed the story. Use quotations and examples from the book.

(see the answer keys)

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