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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. 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?

3. 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?

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

5. In what country is Arn's hometown?

Short Essay Questions

1. When a new mail carrier comes into camp, he shares some news with Arn. What part of the news does Arn doubt and what is the significance of this doubt?

2. After Arn is chosen by Khmer Rouge leaders to play music in their band, Arn sees there are positive results and negative results of his being chosen. What are they and what does this show about one's fate under the rule of the Khmer Rouge?

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

4. 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?

5. 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?

6. What ploy do the Khmer Rouge use to get the government soldiers to come to the airport and what happens once they arrive?

7. What is the author's purpose in including the character of the five-year-old child whom Arn finds feasting on the flesh of the dead?

8. 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?

9. 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?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The epilogue of the novel provides the reader with information about the real man on whom the novel's fictional story is based. Discuss the author's choice to include this epilogue and its intended effect on the reader within the context of the whole novel.

Essay Topic 2

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 3

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.

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