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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 visitor's personality in "Dinner in the Black Market" like?

2. What caused the deterioration of Zahra's marriage?

3. What does the woman in "Out of Work" see young people wearing?

4. What is the visitor's real profession?

5. What was the life of the person the state official met with like?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe two ways the old man helps the sisters in "House in the Woods"?

2. What causes the falling out between Zahra and her sister in Chapter 5?

3. What role does Yasmine play in the story "The Stranger"?

4. What is the nightly ritual Roukia preforms? How does it help the family?

5. Why does the main character of "Divorce" leave his wife?

6. What happens to Zahra's wool spinning business?

7. Describe Zahra's experience with the fortune-teller.

8. What happens when Roukia is locked in the cellar?

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

10. What role does religion play in Aziz's life?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Zahra meets many interesting people in the book. These people influence her life in many ways. Choose one person or couple she meets that influence her life, and explain the positive and negative aspects of that influence.

Essay Topic 2

Describe how the Moroccan independence movement affected AbuZaud's life as an artist. How does the independence movement play a role in her character's lives?

Essay Topic 3

Define the literary term conflict. How does conflict appear in literature? Choose two stories in Abu Zayd's collection and explain the conflict or conflicts in each story.

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