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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 the hit-and-run driver's lawyer?

2. Who moderates the group therapy gathering for Fierro?

3. What does Nora tell Jeremy about in Part III that she thinks will turn him off?

4. What does Coleman see at the library that makes her think she can crack the hit-and-run case?

5. What can Jeremy tell Fierro is thinking of his first group therapy session?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Coleman figure out how to catch the hit-and-run driver in Part III?

2. What does Nora say when Jeremy says something heartfelt and sweet to her in Part IV?

3. What do Jeremy and Nora do when he comes to her house for the first time on his own in Part III?

4. Why does Nora decide not to tell her mother about Driss's affair?

5. Why is Coleman increasingly worried about Miles in Part III?

6. Why is Nora angry with Salma about Anderson Baker's court appearance?

7. What does Fierro do in the support group that really angers Jeremy?

8. In Part IV, what is one factor in Efrain coming forwards as a witness?

9. What does Nora begin to piece together as a reason Anderson Baker might have wanted to kill her father?

10. What does Fletcher do in Iraq that Jeremy can never get over?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The reader learns about Driss's dishonesty and infidelity to Maryam as the plot progresses, but when and how does Lalami reveal Maryam's own dishonesty in the relationship, and how does this affect the reader's perception of her? Write an essay explaining your answers.

Essay Topic 2

Why do you think Lalami chose to write this book from the perspectives of many different characters, and what effect does this choice have on the reader? Write an essay explaining your answers.

Essay Topic 3

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.

(see the answer keys)

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