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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. How old is the photo Mrs. Afify sends to her suitor?

2. What does Abbas say is everything in life?

3. What tragedies have befallen Radwan Hussain?

4. How does Hussain Kirsha convince Abbas to go to work for the British?

5. How does Zaita help the strong man to become an efficient beggar?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is Hamida pleased when Abbas says that what she has done will always stand between them?

2. What does Zaita say was the summer resort of his childhood?

3. What does Zaita promise he will do to help the beggar who is too big and strong to gain people's sympathy?

4. Why does Radwan Hussainy feel guilty for the wrongdoing of Dr. Booshy and Zaita?

5. Why does Abbas believe that Hamida feels the same attraction for him that he feels for her?

6. Why has Salim Alwan decided to take a second wife?

7. How had Sheikh Darwish become a homeless man of God?

8. Why does Dr. Booshy suffer when he goes with Zaita to rob graves?

9. What conflicting emotions does Hamida feel for the stranger who keeps staring at her?

10. Why does Kirsha come to Radwan Hussainy's home?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Radwan Hussainy says that evil is a form of weakness or illness, causing people to be unable to recognize the good that is around them. Consider the problem of evil in this story. Is Zaita evil? Is Ibrahim Faraj? Is Hamida? Decide upon your own definition of evil, and analyze at least two characters in light of your definition, using evidence from the text. Then determine whether you agree with Radwan Hussainy's definition.

Essay Topic 2

Analyze the character of Radwan Hussainy. How has he managed to live happily while enduring great sorrow and loss? What effect does his advice have on those who ask him for it? What do you see as Mahfouz' purpose in making Radwan Hussainy a central character in his depiction of the alley?

Essay Topic 3

There is often a difference between what a character says and what we are told the character actually thinks. Analyze at least two circumstances in which this is true. Discuss probable reasons why the characters do not speak frankly to one another.

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