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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 does Phator do to cure the young slave with the splinter in his brain?

2. What kind of seal does Sinuhe have made for himself in Smyrna?

3. What is significant about the slave that Sinuhe buys?

4. When the prince is crowned, who is his royal consort?

5. What god does the young heir call upon to bless his father at the opening of his skull?

Short Essay Questions

1. 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?

2. On the night that Ammon is supposed to appear before the students in the House of Life, what happens to Sinuhe? What does he do that is different from his classmates? Why does he tell the truth to the priest in the morning? What does this say about his basic character?

3. Why does Senmut take Sinuhe to meet Inteb, the warrior? What lesson does Senmut want Sinuhe to leave with?

4. Why do Kipa and Senmut tell their neighbors that Kipa gave birth to Sinuhe? Why does Senmut register Sinuhe in the book of births? What will this do for Sinuhe later in life? What difference will this make in his life?

5. Explain the process that Sinuhe is taught in school about life after death. Who is Osiris? Who is the Devourer? What does the Devourer look like? Who is the Backward-Gazer? Why is this important knowledge for the average Egyptian?

6. Why does Sinuhe continue to give Nefernefernefer all he possesses? Why can he not pull himself away from her? What is her appeal to Sinuhe? What is his behavior a metaphor for?

7. 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?

8. Sinuhe meets a man in the City of Dead when he buries his parents. What is this man's story a moral for in the story? What lesson does this impart to Sinuhe or to the reader? What message is the author trying to tell?

9. 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?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Who does Sinuhe discover are his parents? How does this change the novel? Why does Sinuhe never claim the throne? Could he prove his birth? How?

Essay Topic 2

What do you think of the way Kaptah steals from Sinuhe? Judging from Sinuhe's reaction to this knowledge, what does this say about their relationship and the the relationship between all slaves and owners in Egypt? Give examples from the novel of Kaptah's business dealings with Sinuhe's money.

Essay Topic 3

The names Ramses in mentioned twice in the novel; once as a far away leader and once as Horemheb's son. There was a very famous pharaoh names Ramses. Do you think either of these men were that pharaoh? Which one do you believe it was?

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