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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. Why are the Egyptians easily able to capture the Shilluk village in Cush?

2. Why does Lostris wait in the palace as the Hyksos approach?

3. What is the constant problem with the first chariots?

4. When Taita works the Mazes of Ammon-Ra to receive guidance about the Hyksos problem, how does his vision begin?

5. After setting up the stone monument, why does the queen give Taita the Gold of Praise?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Lostris deal with Lord Aqer's disgruntlement? Including previous instances of dissatisfied people, what does this say about her leadership? Is she well suited to lead the Egyptian people?

2. At age five, how does Memnon begin to assert himself? How does Smith draw out the contradictions between his age and his social position? What does Memnon's attitude predict for the future?

3. What is the reaction of both Tanus and Pharaoh to the news of Lostris's pregnancy? What do their reactions say about their personal priorities?

4. How do the Egyptian ships navigate through the cataracts? How is this a testimony to their technological skill, especially because of Taita?

5. What happens when the Nile floods? How does this event bring together science and religious observation? How is it also an opportunity for vice, particularly greed?

6. Why do Lostris and Tanus disagree over the fate of the Hyksos horses? How does this argument illustrate their respective places in society?

7. Why do you think Smith goes into details about the mummification of Pharaoh's body? Is this fitting to the novel? Especially in relation to Taita's character, since he is involved in the embalming, do the details add to or detract from the story?

8. How does the love between Memnon and Masara mirror the love between Tanus and Lostris? How is it different?

9. Why will so few people ride astride a horse? (Throughout the novel, only Hui, Taita, and Memnon dare this.) What reaction do they get when people see them astride the horses? Why do you think they get this reaction?

10. How does Taita justify the enslavement of the Shilluk people? What does he observe about their customs and what does he seek to change? How do the Shilluk customs of marriage differentiate, in a large part, their culture from that of the Egyptians?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does Taita spend his two years in Arkoun's prison? What does this reveal about his personality? Does the reader ever lose hope of his rescue? Given his conversations with Masara, what does the reader come to expect?

Essay Topic 2

Why does Taita question the value of treasure-laden tombs? Is he right to question the tombs? How is his judgment unclouded while Pharaoh's is caught up only in his funerary treasure (152, 365)?

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

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