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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. Who is Nabil going to fulfill his task with?

2. What kind of woman is Umm Saad?

3. In "The Falcon," where are the guards from?

4. When does Nabil wake up in "A Hand in the Grave"?

5. What does Nabil pack in his bag?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens to Suhail after the graveyard plan?

2. How does Jadaan show indifference to his job?

3. Why would it be irrational for Suhail to think that he stuck his fingers in the corpse's eyes?

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

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

6. What has Saad done, and how does his mother initially react?

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

8. How is Umm Saad related to the narrator, and how is this revealed?

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

10. Briefly describe the story of the Nar.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

"If You Were a Horse" contains a prominent theme of superstition. What is the superstition? How does superstition play a role in the story , and how does the son come to believe it, though his logic tells him otherwise? How does the father feel about superstition? Remember to answer each question with evidence from the story.

Essay Topic 2

Despair is a theme that runs throughout some stories in Men in the Sun, but it especially runs throughout "The Land of the Sad Oranges." How is despair reflected in this story? How does each character feel and show despair? How did hope turn to despair in this story? Remember to answer each question thoroughly 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.

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