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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 reason for his visit did the narrator give his mother?

2. What will Hosna do if she's forced to marry Wad?

3. Why did the narrator want to contact Mrs. Robinson?

4. Where did the narrator go to after leaving Mustafa's house?

5. What did the narrator tell his friend Mahjoub about in Khartoum?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe how the narrator left the village again after his conversations with Hosna and Mahjoub.

2. How does the narrator relate Jean Morris to Hosna?

3. How does the book end?

4. What did Mahjoub tell the narrator about Mustafa?

5. Soon after leaving the village, the narrator has to go back. Why?

6. What did the narrator find in the triangular room and what did he do while in there?

7. What had happened to Hosna and Wad while the narrator was away from the village?

8. Who are Mustafa's children and what is the narrator's relationship with them?

9. Mahjoub and the narrator have a short conversation about Khartoum. What did they talk about? What did the narrator not talk about?

10. What were all the things that are tangled up, according to the narrator?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

Mustafa suffered from wanderlust. How is this portrayed in the book? What does Mustafa do to fulfill this wanderlust? Where does he go? Why? What does he do there? Where does he finally end up? Is this the end of his wanderlust? Why do you think that? How is his wanderlust related to his disappearance? Compare or contrast Mustafa's wanderlust with what he wants for his sons. Use supporting evidence from the book. Relate this wanderlust to the narrator's perception of what happened to Mustafa.

Essay Topic 3

The triangular room is mentioned throughout the book. What is this room? Why is it important? Whose room is it? What does the narrator have to do with this room? What happens to the room? What are the contents in this room? What does the narrator do in this room? What does he see and what is his reaction? What does he relate the pictures of the women to? How is Jean Morris' death related to Hosna's death? How does the narrator leave the room? Why is his being in the room important to the conclusion of the book?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,135 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample