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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 year in school are Suhail and Nabil?

2. What does Umm Saad tell her cousin to tell the commander?

3. Who offers to do the task alone first in "A Hand in the Grave"?

4. What does the father respond to his daughter's offer in "A Hand in the Grave"?

5. How does Jadaan respond to Abdallah's request for advice?

Short Essay Questions

1. What did Jadaan do after he met the red-haired woman?

2. How does Umm Saad want to support her son?

3. Why does Nabil decide to rob a grave?

4. Why is Umm Saad disappointed when the narrator tells her that soldiers have no need for mothers?

5. How does Jadaan show his indifference to everyone around him?

6. Briefly describe the story of the Nar.

7. How is Abdallah different from Jadaan in their jobs?

8. In "The Falcon," where did the gazelle go when it left, and why?

9. What does the father's religiousness foreshadow in "A Hand in the Grave"?

10. How do Nabil and Suhail react upon entering the graveyard?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The theme of innocence is prominent in "The Land of the Sad Oranges," and the narrator addresses it specifically. Describe the children at the beginning of the story. How do they change by the end? What happens to their innocence? Remember to answer each question thoroughly with specific examples from the story.

Essay Topic 2

"Umm Saad" may be the best example in this collection of stories to show the trials of motherhood. How does Umm Saad feel the trials of motherhood? How does she respond to her trials? Which traits help her most in her trials in motherhood? Remember to answer each question with evidence from the story.

Essay Topic 3

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.

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This section contains 661 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample