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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. In "Heatwave," when Kostas runs and trips over a wooden crate, where does he cut himself?

2. What type of fruit does the fig tree believe Adam and Eve ate?

3. On page 159, what type of cake did Yiorgos have for his birthday?

4. How long was the cutting that Kostas took from a fig tree at a tavern in Cyprus to grow in England?

5. What bird does the fig tree note when it is being buried by Kostas?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happened to the trees that used to cover Cyprus?

2. In "Lovers," how does Defne sneak out of her house to see Kostas?

3. What does the fig tree remember that Yusuf gave Yiorgos for his birthday?

4. What does the fig tree miss buried in the ground?

5. Who contacts the fig tree in the night on page 99, and why?

6. What does Defne wear when she sneaks out to see Kostas in "Lovers"?

7. What is Kostas' career, and what does he do?

8. What is Ada doing in "A Girl Named Island"?

9. How did Kostas grandfather die?

10. What happened that summer when Archbishop Makarios was overthrown?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Cyprus is divided between Greeks and Turks and Christians and Muslims. How does the conflict in Cyprus affect characters? How do ethnicity and religion cause violence and loss?

Essay Topic 2

An analogy is the comparison of an unfamiliar object or idea to a familiar one in an attempt to explain the unfamiliar or to help readers understand characters, events, or concepts. What are some analogies Shafak uses in The Island of Missing Trees? How do these analogies help readers comprehend characters, events or concepts?

Essay Topic 3

An allusion is a figure of speech that does not directly refer to a person, place, or thing. What are some allusions in The Island of Missing Trees? Why might it be difficult to decipher an allusion just by the context of a passage in a book? How do the allusions Shafak uses help readers’ understanding of characters or concepts?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 864 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample