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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 does Zahra feel at the start of Chapter 4?

2. What year was Abou Zayd born?

3. Who stole donated goods from the storage sight in Chapter 4?

4. Who is the narrator of this story?

5. Who does Faqih hate?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Zahra decide to make a living and who taught her this skill?

2. What happened in Morocco when it gained independence?

3. What is the Year of the Elephant ?

4. Who is Safia?

5. What imagery does the author use in Chapter 1?

6. Who raised Zahra and why could she not go back to their home?

7. How does Zahra's husband sneak Faqih out of town?

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

9. What did Zahra describe as an oasis and desert and why?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

When considering Abu Zayd's life, where do you believe she found the inspiration for her book? What does this book cause you to think about the author's life? Why was her book the first to translated from Arabic to English?

Essay Topic 2

How does the setting effect the reader's experience of the story? Does it matter that the story is set in another country? Describe the setting of the story of you choice and explain how it is intertwined with the plot.

Essay Topic 3

Who is Zahra's faqih (note the spelling of faqih) and what role does he play in her life choices ?

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