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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. Where does Omar believe Hell is located?

2. About what do Old Man Shakil's daughters regularly fantasize?

3. About what sort of textbooks would the narrator have to write if his novel were realistic?

4. Where are gas fields discovered at the start of Chapter 6?

5. How old is Rani Humayun's betrothed at the time of their marriage?

Short Essay Questions

1. Briefly, what is the generally accepted reason that the husbands in the Hyder family "secretly" visit their wives in common in the night?

2. Why is Raza Hyder's military victory so greatly lauded throughout Pakistan?

3. What are the circumstances surrounding the death of Mistri Yakoob Balloch?

4. Why does the narrator appropriate the story of his friend, the poet?

5. Why is Raza Hyder sent to the Needle Valley?

6. What are the important nuances of the word "sharam" that are not carried over into the English "shame"?

7. What characterizes Omar Khayyam Shakil's early educational experiences?

8. How do Raza Hyder and Maulana Dawood come to trust one another immediately?

9. How is Omar initially greeted upon his exiting Nishapur?

10. According to the opinion of the narrator, why does Eduardo deem that Omar must study to be a doctor?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Being careful to make the necessary distinctions, write an analytical essay which discusses the significance of the actions of the Beast, as something that resides within but is not Sufiya Zinobia. Which of its actions most significantly impact the story? Why is it an entity that is not Sufiya Zinobia, properly speaking (consider the allegorical significance of Sufiya Zinobia)? Why would it reside within Sufiya Zinobia? What function does the Beast play in the plot of the story? To what actions is the Beast a reaction? Who are its victims, and why?

Essay Topic 2

In a well-structured essay, analyze the actions and motivations of the Shakil Sisters. Although they appear in only a few chapters of the book, they nonetheless play a vital role which shapes events throughout the book. Demonstrate how this is so and what they accomplish. What characters do they influence, and how does that influence further influence other characters? How does everything come full circle to them? In what manner does their life begin, and how does it end? What does the circuity of the story's plot reveal about the Shakil Sisters?

Essay Topic 3

Compose an insightful essay on the character of Raza Hyder. As one of the principal protagonists of the story's events, what is Raza's overall significance to the story and its main themes? What are his primary character traits and in what actions do they show themselves? Does he in any way change over the course of the story? How do the other characters think of him and act towards him throughout the story? In what ways does he represent universal human nature? Is his character one of virtue? If so, in what ways, and if not, in what ways?

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