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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. Why does Dr. Abulafia leave Spain?

2. Accompanied by the trader Muzaffar, what does Volkmar do on the trip he starts in April?

3. At the end of the book, Tabari explains that he has never left the area because _____.

4. Fighting on the side of the Prophet Muhammad, Abd Umar works diligently to spread Islam across Byzantine regions although he _____.

5. After sailing for Salonica in 1541 before the Inquisition reaches Italy, where do Rabbi Zaki and his family ultimately settle?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens when the Jews defend Safed in 1948?

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

3. Summarize the state of Makor when Christianity prevails in the region around 313 C.E.

4. 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.

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

6. Explain what the rabbis determine in "The Law" about what really bonds the Jewish people.

7. In the chapter "The Tell," what does Cullinane realize about Bar-El as he looks at pictures of her from newspaper clippings?

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

9. 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"?

10. Where are Vered Bar-El and John Cullinane as the chapter "The Tell" opens?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe the love triangle that exists between Cullinane, Bar-El, and Eliav. Why is Bar-El loyal to Eliav? Why does Cullinane continue to pursue Bar-El despite her loyalty to Eliav? If circumstances were different, would Bar-El be interested in a long-term relationship with Cullinane? Why does the author throw in a surprise ending with Paul Zodman? Support your answers with passages from the book.

Essay Topic 2

In many of the situations Michener creates, he employs irony. Find two instances where irony appears in The Source. In each case, explain what makes the situation ironic. State how irony adds greater depth to the situation.

Essay Topic 3

Explain how the existence of different gods, including Baal and Yahweh, leads to problems and ultimately wars among peoples in Makor through various eras. Personalize this conflict through the stories of the engineer Hoopoe and the prophet Gomer. How are people they know and love hurt by the conflicts that arise between different religions based on different gods?

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