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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. Why does Umm Saad feel the way she does concerning her son?

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

3. What would Umm Saad do without her two other children?

4. In "The Falcon," what does one of the workers call the engineers?

5. What happens to the falcon after a week?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Nabil transfer out of medical school?

2. What unique trait of motherhood does Umm Saad display when speaking about Saad?

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

4. How does Umm Saad support her son at the end of the story?

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

6. What does Umm Saad think of her other two children?

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

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

9. What happens to Suhail after the graveyard plan?

10. How is Jadaan similar to Nar?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Foreshadowing is one of the tools used in "Men in the Sun." How does foreshadowing play a role in this story? What happens in the end that fulfills the foreshadowing? Remember to answer each question with evidence and specific examples of instances of foreshadowing in the story.

Essay Topic 2

In "A Hand in the Grave," Nabil and his father may share the same blood, but they are very different, and often fight. How does the father see his son? How does Nabil see the father? How would you describe their relationship in general? Remember to answer each question with evidence from the story.

Essay Topic 3

Umm Saad goes through many feelings during the story as she tells her cousin about her son. What emotional turns does Umm Saad take when telling the story to her cousin, and what causes these emotional turns? How does she recover from each turn, and what does she console herself with? Remember to answer each question with evidence from the story.

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This section contains 667 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample