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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. Who did Bint Mazjoub tell stories of?

2. Who invited the narrator to lunch as the group left grandfather's house?

3. How does the narrator know about the legendary flooding of the Nile?

4. What does the subject turn to during the narrator's visit to the group of people, a month after the train conversation?

5. Why did Mustafa decide to stay in the village after leaving the place he was from?

Short Essay Questions

1. What do you know about Mustafa's family and how did that affect him?

2. What is being said about Western women during a conversation at the grandfather's house?

3. How does the house of the narrator's grandfather look like?

4. What did Mustafa's school career look like?

5. What was left for the narrator after Mustafa disappears?

6. How was Mustafa treated during his time in Cairo?

7. What happened to Mustafa when he meets a man on horseback?

8. What else, after the conversation about Western women, was being talked about in grandfather's house the same day?

9. How did the narrator feel about being back in his old village after being gone for seven years?

10. What do you know about the legendary flooding of the Nile described in the book?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

An important part in "Season of Migration to the North" is the difference between the Western and the African culture. While reading, you learn a lot about the African culture. Give a few examples from the book about African life. Think about the narrator's arrival and stay in the village to describe tribal life. How does the African culture differ from the American culture? Compare and contrast African and American life.

Essay Topic 2

In pages 45-60, an important event is talked about. Describe the event. What do you learn about the river? What's its name? How frequent does an event like this happen? Why is it called legendary? Why is the event important for the plot of the book? How do you relate this event to the character of Mustafa? How do you relate it to the character of the narrator? What do you think happened to Mustafa? Why?

Essay Topic 3

The narrator does not finish the story of Mustafa Sa'eed. Why not? What is your interpretation? Were there indications throughout the book that Mustafa's story would not get finished? If so, give examples. How does the narrator's own story finish? What are your thoughts about the ending of the book?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,080 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample