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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 body parts are left inside a man when he is embalmed?

2. What is ironic about the double crown of Egypt that Pharaoh wears?

3. Why is Taita nervous about the pageant at the end of the festival?

4. Why does Shufti take so long to retaliate against Tanus and his band of men?

5. When Tanus disappeared, to whom did he hand over his squadron and Pharaoh's seal?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Taita foreshadow the coming marriage for Lostris? How does this affect the element of surprise within the novel?

2. After Taita is whipped because he dares to petition for Lostris and Tanus's marriage, Lostris cares for his wounds. How does she reveal that she is still a child? What hope does the reader have that her marriage to Tanus will occur?

3. When the people cry out to Pharaoh to give Tanus mercy from the death sentence, what does Pharaoh do? What leads to this decision? Does it show Pharaoh's mercy or his weakness?

4. When Taita disguises himself as a priest so that he is not recognized in his native city Thebes, how is he treated? What does this say about the Egyptian people's attitude toward their religion? What does this say about the priests' ethics?

5. Why is Taita angered when he sees Lord Intef in Thebes? What does this reveal to the reader about Taita's character?

6. Describe the murder of Tod onstage during the festival pageant. What does Taita reveal about humanity, as he perceives it, during this scene?

7. What scheme does Taita dream up to help Tanus engage the Shrikes in battle for the first time? How is this scheme something that perhaps only Taita would think of?

8. What danger does Taita find in his basket of pomegranates and mangoes? What does this danger say about his place in society?

9. What will be the crowning moment of Pharaoh's life? What is Taita's reaction to this moment and how does the reaction seem contrary to Egyptian thought?

10. When Taita works the Mazes for Pharaoh, what does he see? Why does he lie to the king about what he sees? What might the effect have been if he didn't lie?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Twice Taita wishes that he could retract the evil he had spoken: Lostris's marriage and the coming of the Hyksos. How effective is this as a literary technique? Does it build suspense for the reader or diminish it? How does it change the reader's expectations for what happens next in the novel?

Essay Topic 2

Taita notes the battle with the Hyksos as the end of an era (pg 313). What does he mean by this? Why does he think this is true? In the end, is he right?

Essay Topic 3

When Lostris thinks she is pregnant for the fourth time, what is the truth? How does this short scene illustrate the understanding she and Taita have with each other?

(see the answer keys)

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