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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Upon realizing that Arn is teasing him by putting a stone on his chest instead of the customary lump of sugar, Mek tells Arn that he has a treat for him. What is the treat?
(a) He tells Arn a story about how his children used to tease him, too.
(b) He hums an old Cambodian love song to Arn that is now illegal.
(c) He gives Arn a piece of cornbread.
(d) He shows Arn a firefly he has trapped in a bottle.

2. Why does Arn at first hesitate to volunteer when a high-ranking Khmer Rouge soldier asks who wants to play music in a band within the camp?
(a) He has never played an instrument and is scared that he will not be good at playing music.
(b) He is afraid that the question is a trick to suss out children who may have taken music lessons and should therefore be killed for their elitist status.
(c) He thinks that the other children in the band will not take the task seriously and that therefore they will all be punished or even killed.
(d) He is told that the band will play for the glory of Angka, which goes against his religious beliefs.

3. When the word "sleep" is banned by the Khmer Rouge, what word is allowed in its place?
(a) Doze.
(b) Nap.
(c) Die.
(d) Rest.

4. What is Arn's solution for helping Siv remember not to hold the flag in front of Arn's face at the end of the dance?
(a) He steals some rice for him.
(b) He threatens to break his flag.
(c) He explains to Siv that he's ruining the dance and reducing Arn's chances at fame.
(d) He offers to switch dancing roles with him.

5. Once Arn and his group is allowed to stop walking and they form a camp, what two groups do the Khmer Rouge soldiers separate the captives into?
(a) Former peasants and former city-dwellers.
(b) Families with children and families without children.
(c) Males and females.
(d) Cambodians and Vietnamese.

6. What product does Arn skip school to sell, much to the chagrin of his older sister?
(a) Bowls of rice.
(b) Ice cream.
(c) Shoes.
(d) Cigarettes.

7. When the new music teacher is too overcome by his own sadness to teach the children, Arn teaches them himself, instructing them to hit the strings lightly, like the wings of what bird?
(a) A hummingbird.
(b) A starling.
(c) A swallow.
(d) A robin.

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 the Khmer Rouge can see inside his head.
(b) Because getting his hopes up for a reunion with his family is a waste of time.
(c) Because it makes him angry at them for letting this happen.
(d) Because Mek is jealous of Arn's feelings about his family.

9. What method does Mek, the new music teacher, tell Arn that he uses to survive?
(a) He composes music.
(b) He thinks about one hour at a time.
(c) He dreams.
(d) He watches the birds fly.

10. After asking Sombo many times why he is permissive with Arn and overlooks his breaking of the rules, Sombo reveals the reason. What does he say is the reason?
(a) He says that he has a special affinity for Arn because of his musical talent.
(b) He says that he knew Arn's father before he was killed and that he feels a responsibility to take care of Arn.
(c) He says that he hates what the Khmer Rouge make him do to punish children who break the rules, so he tries not to turn them in if he can help it.
(d) He says that he was an orphan who was forced to steal in order to survive as well.

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

12. What do the rich kids do to Arn when he is selling his wares near the school?
(a) They throw stones at him.
(b) They push over his cart in the gutter.
(c) They spit on him.
(d) They run to buy his wares.

13. 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 every child in the band will be killed if he does not.
(b) Arn tells him that he'll be killed if he does not.
(c) Arn tells him that the music is crucial to keeping up the morale of the field workers.
(d) Arn tells him that soon the band will become famous across the country if he does.

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

15. Though the Khmer Rouge blame the bad rice harvest on the laziness of the workers, Arn knows it is actually due to what reason?
(a) Substandard rice seed was used.
(b) Villagers have crept into camp in the night and have stolen rice.
(c) The monsoons have submerged the rice for too long and it has been unable to grow effectively.
(d) The soil has been planted too many times with no rest.

Short Answer Questions

1. What dance do Arn and Munny perform for the crowd outside the theater?

2. When another child captive tells on Arn for lying to increase his number of work breaks, what do the Khmer Rouge soldiers impose as Arn's punishment?

3. 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?

4. When the Khmer Rouge evacuate all of the cities in order to force everyone into agricultural work, how many days do they tell the villagers they will be gone?

5. When the Khmer Rouge soldiers take all of the captives' clothes and burn them, what clothing do they provide instead?

(see the answer keys)

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