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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 is the toba?

2. Where do Dadi and Shabanu camp the first night of their journey to sell the camels?

3. What does Dadi send Shabanu out to buy for a celebration at the fair?

4. How many baby camels are in the herd when the orphan baby comes along?

5. Who is taking care of Mithoo while Shabanu is on the journey?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is Shabanu worried about her future?

2. What do the men traveling to the fair talk about as they sit by the fire with Dadi?

3. Describe the scene when Wardak returns to buy Guluband.

4. Why does Mama worry about Shabanu's future?

5. What is the family's reaction when the see what Dadi has bought for Phulan's dowry and for gifts?

6. How do the rains dictate the life of Shabanu's family?

7. What disturbing thing does Shabanu learn about how other tribes treat camels?

8. Why is this trip to the Sibi fair particularly poignant for Shabanu?

9. How does Shabanu feel about her future after Dadi comforts her?

10. What all does Shabanu do at the Sibi carnival?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Is Staples trying to give the reader a slice of nomadic desert life, or is she making a larger statement about the mistreatment of women in countries like Pakistan?

Essay Topic 2

In what way are the landscape and culture of Cholistan as important as the characters in the novel? How do they shape the plot and characters of the story?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss how the relationships between fathers and daughters was portrayed in the novel. Contrast this with the relationship between mothers and daughters in Shabanu.

(see the answer keys)

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