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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. How did Zahra react to the Casablanca Massacre?

2. When did Morocco gain independence?

3. How did Zahra's husband feel about the resistance?

4. At the start of Chapter 4 what does Zahra spend her money on?

5. Who is Walter in Chapter 4?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens to Zahra's husband in Chapter 4? How does she find out?

2. Describe Zahra's mood at the start of Chapter 4. Why does she feel this way?

3. How does Zahra join the Moroccan resistance movement?

4. What is the Year of the Elephant ?

5. Why might Abou Zayd have written "Year of the Elephant" in Arabic?

6. What did Zahra's parents do for a living and why was it dangerous?

7. What was Zahra's experience at Al-Adir?

8. Describe the narrator of "The Year of the Elephant".

9. Who is the local "faqih" and how does he help Zahra in Chapter 1?

10. Why does Faqih dislike the French?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the character of Zahra. How does Zahra change from the beginning to the end of the book "Year of the Elephant"? Why? Do you believe Zahra is innocent at any point of the book? When does she loose her innocence? Choose one other character in the book and explain their relationship with Zahra..

Essay Topic 2

Identify the plot and subplot in "Dinner in the Black Market". Be sure to provide the definitions for both terms in your answer. How does Abu Zayd effectively keep the reader engaged without confusing them?

Essay Topic 3

How does Abu Zayd address the theme of independence in his "Year of the Elephant"? Choose two examples of examples of this theme and explain how these examples contribute to the message of the story.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 606 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample