View a FREE sample

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 mother tell the children to do when the father is set off in "The Land of Sad Oranges"?

2. What does Abu Qais learn about his wife?

3. When does the Arab army enter Palestine?

4. In "If You Were a Horse," when the son asks his father if he hates him, what does the father reply?

5. How long does Abul Khaizarun promise the men that he'll leave them in the tank?

Short Essay Questions

1. What foreshadows the importance of the river in "Men in the Sun"?

2. What did the orange represent in the beginning of "The Land of Sad Oranges"?

3. Who are the antagonists in "The Land of Sad Oranges," and why?

4. In "The Land of Sad Oranges," when a child requests something from his father, what happens?

5. What does the son realize at the end of "If You Were a Horse"?

6. What is ironic about Abul Khaizarun confirming the bad reputation of smugglers?

7. Why are the kids sent to the hills so often in "The Land of Sad Oranges"?

8. What does Abul Khaizarun compare the road from Basra to Kuwait as, and why is this ironic?

9. In "If You Were a Horse," why does the father refuse to allow his son to perform his surgery?

10. Why did Marwan's father leave Marwan's mother?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

"Men in the Sun" portrays different characters trying to get better opportunities for themselves and their families. How do the characters strive for better lives, specifically? Where do the men want to go for better opportunities? Describe the journey to get there. Remember to answer each question with evidence from the story.

Essay Topic 2

As with most stories, there is usually a beginning, middle, climax, and end; "The Land of Sad Oranges" is no different. Discuss the events of the story leading up to the climax. What does the climax of the story demonstrate? What does the father's desperation show? How is this a turning point for the narrator? Remember to answer each question with evidence from the story.

Essay Topic 3

In "The Land of the Sad Oranges," the family goes through a serious mental trauma because of the situation they find themselves in. The father is especially affected. How does the father's mental state transform throughout the story, and what events cause each transformation? What is his mental state at the end of the story, and why? Remember to answer each question thoroughly with evidence from the story.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 717 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample