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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. Which of the following is the only accessory Port wears while sleeping?

2. Which of the following items does the sky remind Port?

3. What is a bordj?

4. Why don't the travelers finish eating the soup they ordered in Ain Krorfa?

5. What type of animal does Lieutenant D'Armagnac see with a baby's corpse in its mouth?

Short Essay Questions

1. How do Kit and Port react to seeing the sky for the first time while looking out over the precipice in Boussif?

2. Who is Mohammad?

3. How does Port describe Oran?

4. How do Port and Smail meet?

5. Why does Port believe that Eric Lyle stole his passport?

6. What is the travelers' first impressions of the town of Ain Krofra?

7. What is Port's first impression of Eric Lyle?

8. How does Lieutenant D'Armagnac react when hears that Port's passport has been stolen?

9. How does Tunner attempt to comfort Kit when she is nervous on their train ride to Boussif?

10. How does Port feel when he wakes up from his nap in the opening scene of the novel?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

At the opening of the novel, Port meets a young prostitute named Marhnia who tells him a story about three women in the Sahara. First, describe the fable Marhnia tells Port in her tent. Then, explain which character you think the story of the prostitute most closely ties to, and why. What symbolism can be found in Marhnia's story that is also reflected in the stories of one of the characters in the novel, The Sheltering Sky?

Essay Topic 2

At the opening of the novel, Kit is practically housebound, refusing to leave the hotel in Africa. First, describe what led Kit to live a life consumed with such fear. Then, explain how over the course of the novel, Kit began to own her life again. Choose at least two scenes in the novel that you think demonstrate Kit's character growth and explain how these scenes let to her ultimate transformation at the end of the novel.

Essay Topic 3

At the opening of the novel, Kit claims to not trust Tunner. What is it about Tunner's character that Kit finds so unsettling? Then, describing at least two scenes from the novel, explain how Kit's attitude toward Tunner changed as the novel progressed. How does Kit feel about Tunner at the end of the novel? How can you tell?

(see the answer keys)

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