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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 is Nora having an affair with?

2. What school did Nora attend as a child?

3. What does Jeremy learn to do better after his mother's death?

4. What does Nora's mother often say to her throughout the years?

5. Who is Nora's roommate?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What happens at the school play that ruins it for Efrain?

3. Why does Jeremy go to see Mary in Part II?

4. What does Maryam do in the period that Nora thinks of as the "Cold War" phase of her parents' relationship?

5. What does Nora tell Jeremy that she feels about the money her father left her in Part II?

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

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

8. How does Jeremy's father change after his mother's death?

9. Why does Nora get upset at Salma's husband Tareq for his suggestions early in Part I?

10. Why does Salma become so bitter towards Nora in Part II?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does Lalami explain the true impact of Jeremy's and Bryan's experiences in the war in Iraq to the reader 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 Coleman finally arrive at the accurate conclusion as to who was responsible for Driss's death? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 3

What feelings and tensions does Lalami use to show the differences between Nora and Jeremy in terms of their feelings on the war, guns, and law enforcement to explore throughout the novel? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 610 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample