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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. Mustafa recounts a time when Señor Bernardo Rodriguez pressed the heel of his boot against Mustafa's neck as punishment for what offense?

2. How many slaves on the ship that carried Mustafa had "indentured themselves for no money, only the promise of a meal a day" (82)?

3. How many husbands did Heniya, Mustafa's mother, have before she married Mustafa's father?

4. Mustafa begins his account by naming a particular year. For how many years had he been enslaved by this year's arrival?

5. When Mustafa joined a small party going ashore to scope out the area, in what type of vessels did they travel from the ship to the shore?

Short Essay Questions

1. What major plot development involving "nearly thirty men" (127) occurs by the fifth day of the armada's march toward Aute?

2. In what way does the motif of water enter the story of Mustafa's birth, as related in Chapter 2: "The Story of My Birth"?

3. In what way did Mustafa again undergo a name change when he was purchased by Señor Dorantes? What significance does he now find in this change?

4. For what reason did the happiness of Mustafa and his family move?

5. How did Señor Ruíz come to lose an eye during the march toward Aute?

6. How old was Mustafa when his father first shared with him his plans for Mustafa's future career and what details did he share?

7. Who were the main leaders of the expedition to La Florida? Name one fact about each leader.

8. Mustafa's memory of being purchased by Señor Dorantes primarily involves which of the five senses? In what way?

9. How did Mustafa react to his father's plans for Mustafa's future career?

10. Name at least five "strange customs and unbearable rules" (114) required of slaves, according to Mustafa.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Examine the roles of Mustafa’s parents within The Moor's Account. How does Lalami use Mustafa’s discussion of his own parents’ roles to highlight themes included within the overall narrative?

Essay Topic 2

How do the themes of deception and hypocrisy function within The Moor's Account and what is Lalami’s message regarding these themes?

Essay Topic 3

Examine Lalami’s use of characterization methods to portray a number of real people within her novel The Moor's Account. What effects do these characterization methods have on the work's inherent themes and messages?

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