View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who had the key to Mustafa's special room?

2. Why did the narrator visit his sister?

3. Who did the narrator think about as he reads about Jean Morris?

4. Who did the narrator talk to when Mahmoud and Sa'eed left?

5. Where did the narrator want to go when in the water?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Hosna tell the narrator about Mustafa when he visited her one day?

2. In pages 134-165, the narrator wonders what has happened to his world. Explain this feeling.

3. What did the narrator tell Hosna about marriage and how did she react to this?

4. How do you know from the book that the Sudan is a hot country?

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

6. What do you know about the character Mahjoub?

7. What did the narrator do with Mustafa and Hosna?

8. What happened when the narrator and his friend Mahjoub talk about the murders?

9. What did the narrator do with the triangular room, after he's finished there?

10. Where did the narrator go after leaving Mustafa's house and what happened there?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

Essay Topic 2

Mustafa's widow and the narrator have a complicated relationship. How would you describe their relationship? Why is it complicated? Why are the complicated issues not resolved? How does this relation influence the life of both characters? How would you resolve a similar situation?

Essay Topic 3

Foreshadowing is used when the narrator visits Mustafa's widow and they talk. What is being said that will influence Hosna's future? Where is the foreshadowing being used? What does foreshadowing mean? Explain this principle with the example about Hosna in the book. Are there other cases of foreshadowing used by the author? If so, give a few more examples.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,145 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample