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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 plot does Baer say he passed along to the CIA?

2. What does Baer say the Saudis buy with American oil money?

3. What did the Muslim Brotherhood try to do to Asad in 1973?

4. What is the problem of the Saudi economy?

5. Where was Baer guarded by militiamen because of the danger?

Short Essay Questions

1. What was the second event that convinced Baer that the CIA was out of touch with what was happening in the Middle East?

2. What is Baer's feeling about the CIA's interest in terrorism?

3. What does Baer say would have been different if the CIA had taken a different strategy on radical Islam?

4. What changes did Crown Prince Abdallah try to make in Saudi culture?

5. Who is Khalid, and what is his role in Baer's tale?

6. How does Baer say the United States influenced Saudi culture?

7. What was the first event that convinced Baer that the CIA was out of touch with what was happening in the Middle East?

8. How has oil wealth affected the size of the Saudi royal family, in Baer's opinion?

9. What was the CIA's interest in the Muslim Brotherhood, according to Baer?

10. What does Baer say is the greatest force preserving the status quo in Saudi Arabia?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What literary techniques and what stylistic tricks does Baer use to keep your attention throughout the book? How does he build and relieve suspense, and how does he make expository passages that explain historical background intriguing? Look at Baer's word choices and his style to evaluate his ability to keep you engaged as a reader. If you were not engaged, evaluate your own expectations as a reader to say where you lost interest.

Essay Topic 2

Describe the tension between reform and corruption in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere in the Middle East. How do these forces balance without turning to physical violence? How do the different parties in Saudi Arabia and other Middle East countries prevent hostilities turning violent? What compromises and accommodations do they make?

Essay Topic 3

How does Baer handle the differences between different Muslim countries? Are they lumped together, or are they treated as distinct countries with unique histories and particular relations with United States strategic interests? Does his treatment of different countries strengthen or weaken the book?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 868 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample