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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. When the prince is crowned, what does he decree?
(a) That all children will be able to read.
(b) That the slaves are freed from the mines.
(c) That slaves will be given new jobs.
(d) That the town of Thebes will have no more liquor.

2. Who played with Amenhotep like a sister when they were children?
(a) Thothmes.
(b) Baketamon.
(c) Sinuhe.
(d) Nefertiti

3. When Sinuhe finds his old friend Thothmes, what is he doing for a living?
(a) Working for Semnut, Sinuhe's father.
(b) Painting in the royal court.
(c) Making picture books for rich men's children.
(d) Working for Nefernefernefer.

4. Where does Sinuhe bury his parents?
(a) In the desert.
(b) Near the entrance of a royal tomb.
(c) Near the temple of Ammon.
(d) In a pauper's cemetary.

5. Why is the city of Hattushash unknown to outsiders?
(a) It is a secret holy city.
(b) The city is low in a valley and cannot be found.
(c) Because the king has closed it to foreigners.
(d) It is a city where only the gods dwell.

Short Answer Questions

1. How does Sinuhe get to the City of the Dead when he has no money?

2. How is status determined in the land of the Hittites?

3. Who becomes the wife to the new pharaoh?

4. Why will Minea not board the second vessel bound for Crete from Hatti?

5. What does Sinuhe tell his mother and father he wants to be when he grows up?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Sinuhe feel that Mitanni is doomed? Where is Mitanni in relation to other countries? Why does this mean extinction for these people?

2. How does Sinuhe defend the young prince to Horemheb? What does Sinuhe think of the young prince's beliefs? Do you think he is affected in this way because of his experiences in the House of Life? Why? Why not?

3. What is important about being able to read more than one Egyptian character at a time? How does this make the reader different in the eyes of others?

4. When Sinuhe opens a skull and finds that the "disease had laid its egg" what does he mean by that? What is the egg inside the man's head? What does Sinuhe do with it? How does he repair the opening? What is significant about the fact that the man falls from a wall three days later and breaks his neck and dies? What is that supposed to symbolize?

5. Explain how embalming works int he House of Death. What do the priest tell people who bring their loved ones for preparation for burial? What do they actually do? How does Sinuhe view this?

6. When Ptahor is opening the skull of the pharaoh, the young prince steps forward and speaks of a blessing from the god Aton. How does Ptahor react to this? Why does he react as he does?

7. As the novel progresses, Kaptah begins to refer to the property of Sinuhe as "our" as in "our" house, "our" scarab and even "our" gold. What does this indicate to the reader? Does Sinuhe seem aware of these changes? If he does, does he care? Why? Why not? What does this say about their relationship?

8. What is Ptahor's job? Is this a cure for any disease or is this a quick way to die? Why do you think Ptahor is called to the pharaoh?

9. What is the scarab to Kaptah? What is the scarab to Sinuhe? How do the two belief systems differ? How does Kaptah anoint the scarab?

10. What are the two truths of the young prince and Horemheb? How are they in conflict from the beginning? How does Horemheb argue with the sickly young prince about his truth when he first meets him? What does Horemheb fear of the future?

(see the answer keys)

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