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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 wheat ear signify?

2. Why do the palace guards allow Agba to pass the gate?

3. What does Agba see the mare doing when he wakes in Chapter 3?

4. Why is the Sultan pleased with Agba's silence?

5. In Chapter 4, what does Agba look for outside the palace walls?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the significance of the white spot on the foal's heel?

2. Why does Mr. Riddle decide to retire Big Red?

3. What special treatment does Agba give the pregnant mare?

4. Why doesn't the mare eat her corn?

5. What does Sham do when the Chief Cook takes him to the market?

6. What is the Duke's reaction to the Sultan's gift when the horses and their stable boys arrive in France?

7. How do Agba and Sham prepare for the journey to France?

8. Describe the omen Signor Achmet discovers on the foal.

9. Why is Agba summoned to see the Sultan?

10. How is Sham different from the other colts in the stable?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What role does politics play in Sham's survival? Describe how Sham's life is affected by Moroccan, French, and English politics. Which elements of each political system benefit Sham's character? Which elements of each political system harm Sham's character?

Essay Topic 2

How does the author use the element of suspense in the novel? How does the author build up suspense? If the element of suspense had not been used so frequently, how would the flow of the novel have been affected, and why?

Essay Topic 3

Compare and contrast the Sultan and the Earl of Godolphin. What motivates each character? Describe how their similarities and differences affect the characters they rule. How do these two characters affect Sham's life?

(see the answer keys)

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