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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 had already decided to be a merchant, rather than following his father into the notary business, by the time his brothers Yusuf and Yahya were how old?

2. Señor Bernardo Rodriguez's wife had what first name?

3. Who read from a scroll once the whole party had disembarked from the ships?

4. What trope does Mustafa mention in relation to the Indian women's mournful voices decrying the rapes of their community members?

5. How many days did it take for the entire armada to disembark from their ships?

Short Essay Questions

1. What are the reasons behind Mustafa's desire to record his own account of the expedition led by Senor Narvaez?

2. Discuss an instance when Lalami uses an unconventional metaphor within the text.

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

4. Discuss a scene Mustafa describes that would almost certainly not have appeared in the "Castilian gentlemen's" (3) official account?

5. 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"?

6. Who is Estabanico and how does the narrator feel about the name?

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

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

9. What does the caftan symbolize within Chapter 4: "The Story of Aemmur"?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss Lalami’s use of the motif of sound within the novel The Moor's Account.

Essay Topic 2

Trace the characterization arc of Mustafa throughout the novel The Moor's Account. Discuss whether Mustafa is a round or flat character and whether he is a static or dynamic character.

Essay Topic 3

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?

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