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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. Who bails Fierro out of jail?

2. Who is Salma's husband?

3. Where is Nora the night her father is killed?

4. What does Maryam bring to the cabin in Part II that Nora dislikes?

5. What name does Jeremy see on the board at the police station that makes him stop cold?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Jeremy decide to go to Nora's family's house for her father's wake?

2. What is the condition Jeremy places on bailing Fierro out of jail?

3. Who tries to persuade Efrain to go to the police with his information, and why?

4. Why does Efrain hesitate to go the police as a witness to the hit-and-run?

5. What early embarrassing experience does Maryam have in trying to speak to a stranger and make friends in Part I, during her early days in America?

6. Why does Nora spend so much time at her father's cabin in Part II?

7. What happens to Driss's donut shop after 9/11?

8. What does Anderson Baker tell Coleman about the night Driss died in Part II?

9. What is Nora's relationship with Salma like?

10. Why does Nora remember her father's death with contradictory thoughts?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does Lalami evoke the reader's sympathy for several different characters who are in conflict with each other throughout the novel? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 2

How does Lalami establish and maintain suspense throughout this novel? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 3

What does Lalami reveal, at the end of the novel, as the critical event or conversation that finally begins to pave the way towards a more honest and respectful time in Nora's relationship with her mother Maryam? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help explain your conclusions.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 616 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample