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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 happens to the first guard to make Sombo come to replace him?

2. 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?

3. Who is in the picture that Arn hangs on his bedroom wall at the beginning of the novel?

4. Where do Arn and Munny hide when they hear the sounds of a nearby battle during their make-believe game of war?

5. What lesson does Arn learn from his experience getting told on by another boy in the camp?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who is the emaciated girl with the missing teeth and loose skin who arrives at Arn's camp and what does he learn from her?

2. When a soldier from Arn's home village comes to camp, what does he offer Arn in exchange for some rice and what does Arn learn as a result of accepting his offered deal?

3. When Arn finally realizes the true purpose of the band's music, he is shocked and saddened. What is that purpose and how does it transform Arn's idea of the music he plays with the other members of the band under Mek's guidance?

4. What is ironic about the fact that the rice crop falls significantly short of the Khmer Rouge's expectations and they then reduce everyone's food allotment even further than before?

5. When Arn's curiosity gets the better of him and he finally asks Sombo the reason for his permissiveness concerning Arn's behavior, what reasoning does Sombo provide and what is the author's purpose in portraying Sombo's character in this particular way?

6. How is the theme of generosity demonstrated in the scene when the children are finally fed rice in anticipation of their first performance for the Khmer Rouge soldiers?

7. How does the author use the juxtaposition between the kitchen girl's molestation of Arn and the comfort he then seeks within Mek's embrace? What is her purpose in using this juxtaposition?

8. How does Arn fix the problem of the new music teacher's apathy and what effect does this solution have on the band's members?

9. When Arn sneaks out to tell Mek about the soldier who forced him to cook the liver of a murdered captive, he is caught by a soldier but does not suffer the dire consequences he is expecting. What happens instead and what significance does it hold for Arn?

10. When the evacuees are finally allowed to stop to set up camp in groups of around a thousand people each, what do Arn and his little sister Sophea discover about the Khmer Rouge's philosophies when they sneak around listening to the soldiers' conversations?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Within the novel, the manipulation of language in order to shift people's perspectives is a common theme, both in Arn's case, as when he questions the difference between a "bribe" and a "gift" (8) and in the case of the Khmer Rouge soldiers, as when they ban the use of the word "sleep," instead ordering that only the word "rest" (82) be used. Discuss the theme of language manipulation throughout the novel and relate it to manipulation of language within modern politics.

Essay Topic 2

The motif of music is a prominent characteristic of the novel's narrative. Describe and analyze at least three instances of music references in the novel, providing a comprehensive analysis of the author's purpose in using music as a motif.

Essay Topic 3

After his forced separation from his family, Arn builds many relationships with others that resemble family relationships. Choose three characters with whom Arn builds these familial relationships, describe the circumstances surrounding the bonds he forms with these characters, and discuss how these relationships fuel the author's message about the definition of family.

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