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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 do Saad and his companions want to do immediately?

2. What is one of Jadaan's responsibilities?

3. How does Nabil's friend feel when he meets him?

4. How does Umm Saad feel at the end of the story?

5. What does Abdallah ask Jadaan for advice about?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens to Suhail after the graveyard plan?

2. Briefly describe the story of the Nar.

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

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

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

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

7. How do the images of Umm Saad vary, regarding her temperament?

8. How is Jadaan similar to Nar?

9. How does Jadaan show indifference to his job?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Symbolism is a device used in many literary pieces, including "A Hand in the Grave." What ideas or people most readily serve as symbols in the story? What symbols do you find surprising? Which symbol is the strongest? Remember to answer each question with evidence from the story.

Essay Topic 2

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.

Essay Topic 3

In "Letter from Gaza," the narrator originally had different plans, but then his perspective changed, as well as his plans. How does the narrator's perspective change? Why does it change? Why is he able to see something so clearly that he has not seen before? Remember to answer each question with evidence from the story.

(see the answer keys)

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