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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 did Bill used to say the nice thing about life is?

2. In whose position does Bill try to put himself at the end of this section?

3. Where does Karen think Bill has gone?

4. What passes by Brita's window at the end of the novel?

5. Who does Bill remember fondly in this section?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Karen do with the spoon?

2. How does Brita react to Rashid's comments about Mao?

3. What does Bill argue about with George Haddad?

4. What does Rashid say about the identity of the people of his nation?

5. Summarize this section.

6. Describe the part of Beirut Brita is driving through at the beginning of the section.

7. How does Bill die in this section?

8. What does Scott contemplate in Bill's office?

9. What signs are there that Karen is getting ill?

10. Why is it unlikely anyone will identify Bill's body?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is Charlie's role in the novel? How would the novel change if he was not one of the characters? How does he wake Bill up to other matters in life? In what way is he the only character that could have done this?

Essay Topic 2

Examine the author's writing style. How would you describe the author's prose style? What kind of vocabulary does he use? What meaning does the author's style give to the story?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss elements of the narrative structure: exposition, conflict, complication, climax, resolution and conclusion. Do all the elements make for a logical and linear story? How does the story's structure express the book's themes?

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