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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. As the last chapter of the book opens in November 1964, John Cullinane is at the dig in Makor while Vered Bar-El is in _____.

2. How does the stonecutter Yohanan distract his son Menahem who is treated like an outcast by the other children?

3. When Menahem converts to Christianity, what name does he adopt?

4. In Beirut, what happens to Faraj ibn Ahmed Tabari's brother-in-law, who is a constitution reformer?

5. When Volkmar meets with a Mameluke captain, what concern does the captain raise?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Volkmar the Eighth refuse the terms of the invaders, even if his life would be spared?

2. In the chapter "Rabbi Itzik and the Sabra," the reader meets Vered Bar-El in her youth. Describe who she is and what she does in this chapter.

3. What happens in Podi, Italy after Rabbi Zaki and his family leave by ship in 1541?

4. Who is Shmuel Hacohen, and what does he want from Tabari?

5. How does the author show both the desire for peace and the volatility of Makor and its surroundings in the chapter "The Fires of Ma Coeur"?

6. How does Volkmar, the Count of Gretz, end up as governor of Makor?

7. Why does Hacohen purchase Jewish books from Tabari?

8. Who is Muzaffar, and how is he associated with Count Volkmar the Eighth?

9. What does Tabari say about the constitution reformers when he meets with his superior?

10. In "The Law," who is Menahem, and why is he not accepted into the Jewish faith?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe the progress Makor experiences and the advances reached from the time of Ur to the time of his descendant, Urbaal. How much time elapses between these two eras? In what ways does the region improve? In what ways is the original society of Ur better off than the more recent one of Urbaal?

Essay Topic 2

In each chapter, the author tells stories about different people living in different eras, but he always returns to the present and reveals what is happening at the dig in Makor. How does the present-day archaeological dig serve as a tool that ties the book's diverse stories together?

Essay Topic 3

One of the major themes in The Source is survival. By discussing the resilience of Makor through the ages and the survival of the descendants of the Family of Ur, explain how the author develops the theme of survival.

(see the answer keys)

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