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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. What is the acquaintance's reaction to the state official's offer in "The Discontented"?

2. Why does the state official's acquaintance believe his life is the way it is?

3. What do the girls in "A House in the Woods" carry their building materials in?

4. What is wrong, according to Zahra's husband, with the way she eats?

5. What is Aziz's temperament like at the start of "The Stranger"?

Short Essay Questions

1. What do the sisters attempt to build the house out of in "House in the Woods"?

2. Describe the life of the woman in "Out of Work" after she left her job.

3. What message does Aziz receive from his mother at the end of the story?

4. Why does the one sister smile at the end of "Silence"?

5. How does visitor attempt to help employee in "Dinner in the Black Market:"?

6. Why is Aziz nervous at the start of "The Stranger"?

7. Who does not agree with Zahra's choice to move to Casablanca and why?

8. What do the men in "The Discontented" blame the childhood friend's station in life on?

9. What offer does one man make to the other in "The Discontented" and what is the man's response to the offer?

10. Describe the two sisters in "Silence".

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Define the term protagonist and identify who you believe is the protagonist in the story "The Stranger". Supply evidence from the book that supports your argument.

Essay Topic 2

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.

Essay Topic 3

Analyze the interaction between the men in the story "The Discontented". How are the men different from one another? What occurs at the end of the story that sets the two men further apart?

(see the answer keys)

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