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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. In order to add to his fame even more and thus add to his probability of survival, Arn adds what talent to his repertoire in addition to his playing of the khim?

2. How does Arn cope with his feelings when the Khmer Rouge kitchen girl sexually molests him?

3. 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?

4. 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?

5. In what country is Arn's hometown?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Arn describe his village at the opening of the novel before the Khmer Rouge arrive?

2. 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?

3. 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?

4. 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?

5. What happens to the pregnant woman and her husband who are walking next to Arn within the mass exodus of all cities? What lesson does Arn learn from seeing what happens?

6. What does Arn tell the reader about his family background within the exposition part of the story?

7. Why do the Khmer Rouge burn everyone's clothes and all of their material belongings?

8. When the current leader of the camp tells Mek that he and band will soon be going somewhere new, they are all terrified that they will be killed instead and that this is just another instance of the Khmer Rouge's euphemisms. However, they are not killed and what happens instead introduces the theme of fame into the novel. What happens in lieu of their deaths?

9. 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?

10. 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?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The author chooses to represent Arn's voice using an authentic form of dialect used by non-native English speakers. Analyze how this choice affects the reader's understanding of his character, the feelings inspired in the reader about the wartime atrocities he witnesses, and how the theme of redemption is ultimately received by the reader by the end of the novel.

Essay Topic 2

Deception is a theme that shows up often, beginning with the Khmer Rouge's tricking of the citizens in Arn's village and leading to their murders by the regime. Develop a claim stating the author's message regarding deception and prove your claim with at least three instances of deception within the novel.

Essay Topic 3

Though at the start of the novel, Arn enjoys communing with nature, whether he is frogging with Hong or playing in the fields with other friends, as the narrative progresses, his feelings about nature and the earth begin to change. Trace the changes surrounding the author's presentation of the earth motif and analyze the effect of these changes on the reader.

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