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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. When Mantini returns home from work, what does he notice in the corner, covered in lace and ruffles?

2. How many days per week does Mohammad work on Carla's home?

3. Which of the following male characters believes that men have "husbandly rights," and that women "belong" to their husbands?

4. What color was the dress Lucia was wearing on the night she was with Dan?

5. What is the name of Mantini's dead wife?

Short Essay Questions

1. What directions does Ben give Carla in case they need to make a hasty political evacuation?

2. What job does Carla get at the American Embassy in Rome?

3. How does Carla settle into her new life in Rome?

4. What is it about the cafe Mantini visits after the evacuation that gives him hope about the war?

5. Why does Mantini believe that Carla should leave Ben?

6. Why doesn't Carla return to Libya after the evacuation?

7. How does Mantini feel about Lucia's death, and how does it affect his daily life?

8. How does Marlene Wetzel describe the sunset that Carla watches through the restaurant window?

9. How does Mantini describe his villa after the evacuation?

10. How did Mohammad get the job ironing shirts for Ben and Carla?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The most important element of Ben's life seems to be his career.

Part 1.) Briefly explain the responsibilities of Ben's job, and create a list of countries Ben's job has taken him.

Part 2.) Explain the role Ben expects Carla to play in his career, and what his reaction is when Carla does not want to fulfill these tasks.

Part 3.) Briefly explain the way that Ben's career has negatively affected his marriage to Carla. If Ben had a different job, do you think his marriage to Carla would survive? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

Throughout the course of the novel, Mantini finds himself as a victim of political racism. Explain the relationship between Arabs and Jews at the opening of the novel and compare / contrast that to the relationship at the end of the novel. How has Mantini become a victim of this political racism, and how does he fight back?

Essay Topic 3

Mohammad is the matchmaker of this novel. Describe Mohammand's physicality. Then, explain how he helped to bring Carla and Mohammad together. Finally, explain whether or not you believe Mohammad knew what he was doing when he invited Carla to visit him at the crystal shop.

(see the answer keys)

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