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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 does the narrator remember when he sees his favorite tree?

2. How old is the strange man in the village the narrator is curious about?

3. What did the narrator miss most during his absence in the village?

4. How often did the steamer come to the narrator's childhood village?

5. What religion did they talk about at the grandfather's house?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Who was the strange man in the village when the narrator gets back and how does he describe this man?

3. How can you tell that the village life seems unchanged to the narrator when he gets back after all those years?

4. How can you relate the narrator to the Acacia tree?

5. What did the narrator do after Mustafa told him his story?

6. What happened on the train one day, when the narrator works at the Department of Education in Khartoum?

7. What does the narrator tell you about the steamer that brings him to his old village?

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

9. How does the narrator's knowledge of Mustafa conflict with that of his acquaintances from the University of Khartoum?

10. What did you learn about Mustafa's trial in the pages 19-44?

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

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?

Essay Topic 3

An important meeting takes place in the beginning of the book. During the narrator's absence in the village, a stranger by the name of Mustafa has arrived and settled. Describe how the narrator and Mustafa first meet. How do they get to know each other? How does their relationship evolve? Why is this evolving relationship important for the plot of the book?

(see the answer keys)

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