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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 is the mock profession Ahmad's friends put on before leaving him in Chapter 16?

2. Who does Amina tell Fahmy will be the one they have a hard time getting to agree on his marriage to Maryam?

3. What does Amina feel opening as she pleads with Ahmad about Aisha's marriage in Chapter 25?

4. Who does Ahmad insist get married first out of his children in Chapter 5?

5. At what time does Amina have to wait up on her husband every night?

Short Essay Questions

1. How is Aisha's beauty regimine described in the book?

2. What happens to Amina after her broken collarbone has healed?

3. How does Amina's sons react when they come to visit her at her mother's house just after her exile?

4. How does the family react to Ahmad's announcement that Aisha cannot marry in Chapter 26?

5. How is Kamal's visit to Maryam in Chapter 21 described?

6. How is Amina injured on her way home from visiting the al-Husayn shrine?

7. What is the nature of Yasin's complaints about his mother when he visits Ahmad in Chapter 17?

8. How does Ahmad react to Shaykh Mutawalli's claim that he is an adulterer in Chapter 7?

9. How does Ahmad react when a matchmaker hints that Mme. Nafusa wanted to be his second wife?

10. What is Kamal doing after leaving school in Chapter 8?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Examine the nature of the family coffee hour in the book. What is telling of the family's fear of Ahmad based on the openness of their coffee hour discussions?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the nature of ritual in Ahmad's home. Why does Ahmad's family agree to perform the daily rituals and chores he demands of them?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the concept of submission in the book, notably through Ahmad and Amina's relationship. What might Amina feel that submitting to her husband would represent in terms of her culture and social beliefs?

(see the answer keys)

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