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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What causes Arn to think that finally the Khmer Rouge may have won the metaphorical battle between himself and the soldiers?
(a) He thinks that he'd rather see any other child in the camp die than to die himself.
(b) He can no longer remember the faces of his family members.
(c) He realizes that he wants to please the soldiers more than he wants to stay alive.
(d) He loses his appetite and feels that even if he were given an entire meal, he would refuse to eat it.

2. What event causes Arn to sneak out and plead with the new music teacher to start exerting effort in his teaching?
(a) Arn knows that the new music teacher is a friend of his mother's and so he wants to preserve the teacher's life.
(b) A Khmer Rouge guard asks Arn how the band is progressing and whether the new music teacher has a good or a bad character.
(c) Arn realizes that though he can play and teach all of the instruments to the other children, he wants a father figure to be their leader.
(d) Arn has taken a genuine interest in the musical arts and wants to do anything he can to fuel his new passion.

3. What sport do the rich kids play in the yard of their school in the first part of the book?
(a) Lacrosse.
(b) Soccer.
(c) Basketball.
(d) Volleyball.

4. Sophea brings news that someone in Arn's family has died while calling out for him. Who is it?
(a) Their sister Jorami.
(b) Their sister Mali.
(c) Their brother Munny.
(d) Their mother.

5. Who is in the picture that Arn hangs on his bedroom wall at the beginning of the novel?
(a) His mother during her opera heyday.
(b) The Prince of Cambodia's daughter.
(c) The young U.S. President's widow, Jackie Kennedy.
(d) The first lady of the United States.

6. Why do Arn's sister and aunt break down crying when Arn gives them a treat?
(a) They feel sorry for him that he has to use his earnings to provide for his family.
(b) They wish he had gotten enough to give every member of the family a treat.
(c) They don't like the treat he gives them.
(d) They are worried that he steals to get money.

7. When Chantou gets mad that Arn is working as a vendor, what is NOT something she says he should be doing instead?
(a) Doing chores for the monks.
(b) Learning how to use a gun.
(c) Doing schoolwork.
(d) Learning chants.

8. What reason does Arn give for it being a dangerous act for him to think about his sister or any of his other family members?
(a) Because Mek is jealous of Arn's feelings about his family.
(b) Because the Khmer Rouge can see inside his head.
(c) Because getting his hopes up for a reunion with his family is a waste of time.
(d) Because it makes him angry at them for letting this happen.

9. What is it about Arn that makes the soldier let him go without even a warning when he is caught sneaking to Mek's tent in the night?
(a) His fame as a khim player.
(b) His kind words about the soldier's sister.
(c) His decision to stand up to the soldier and not allow himself to be controlled.
(d) His smile.

10. From where does Chantou send Arn a letter?
(a) From her adoptive parents' home in America.
(b) From a mountain camp.
(c) From an opera house in Thailand.
(d) From their home village.

11. While the captives subsist on tiny amounts of rice and garbage, what do the Khmer Rouge eat?
(a) Sardines, mussels, and clams.
(b) Chicken, fish, and lemongrass.
(c) Grass, leaves, and clay.
(d) Caviar, foie gras, and steak.

12. What does Arn say that convinces the new music teacher to make more of an effort to teach the children?
(a) Arn tells him that soon the band will become famous across the country if he does.
(b) Arn tells him that every child in the band will be killed if he does not.
(c) Arn tells him that he'll be killed if he does not.
(d) Arn tells him that the music is crucial to keeping up the morale of the field workers.

13. In what country is Arn's hometown?
(a) Thailand.
(b) India.
(c) Vietnam.
(d) Cambodia.

14. How does Arn describe the monks at the temple school?
(a) He says they are corrupt and secretly take bribes from government officials.
(b) He says they are kind but that they make the children work all the time.
(c) He says they are hard to communicate with since they've taken a vow of silence.
(d) He says they are mean and that they make the children work all the time.

15. What does Arn do with the lump of sugar the kitchen girl gives him after she is done with him?
(a) He gives it to Kha.
(b) He throws it into the jungle.
(c) He sneaks into Mek's tent and shares it with him.
(d) He gobbles it down once he leaves her tent.

Short Answer Questions

1. How do the Khmer Rouge trick the government soldiers into assembling together at the airport so that they can be killed more efficiently?

2. What event causes Arn to wonder if he has become a monster just like the Khmer Rouge soldiers?

3. Why does the kitchen girl give Arn extra food?

4. When Arn is told by a Khmer Rouge soldier that he has a new job in addition to his job as a musician in the band, what does that new job turn out to be?

5. When the word "sleep" is banned by the Khmer Rouge, what word is allowed in its place?

(see the answer keys)

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