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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What occurs in the American movie that causes Arn and Munny to hide their faces in their shirts?
(a) Bloody battle scenes.
(b) A villain looking into the camera.
(c) Displays of wealth like shiny new cars.
(d) Kissing.

2. The boy who runs away from camp and escapes amidst a flurry of gunfire by the Khmer Rouge is a former boyfriend of which of Arn's siblings?
(a) Jorami.
(b) Mali.
(c) Sophea.
(d) Munny.

3. The first person Arn sees in over a year who is not wearing a black uniform is the new leader who arrives at the camp. How does Arn describe his appearance?
(a) He is wearing a linen caftan.
(b) He is wearing black shorts and a white shirt.
(c) He is wearing white shorts and no shirt.
(d) He is wearing a business suit.

4. Where do Arn and Munny go after the American movie to play a pretend game of war?
(a) The town square.
(b) The soccer field.
(c) The park.
(d) The mango grove.

5. Who tells Arn's aunt about Arn and Munny seeing the American movie?
(a) Sojeat.
(b) Sophea.
(c) Munny.
(d) Mali.

Short Answer Questions

1. After the children in the band have had no rice for many days, the Khmer Rouge tell them they are getting a special dinner of banana peels, rice husks, and rotten pieces of food. Arn knows that this is usually the food given to which kind of farm animal?

2. What reason does Arn give for not eating the human liver that the Khmer Rouge soldier forces him to cook?

3. Why do Arn's sister and aunt break down crying when Arn gives them a treat?

4. Upon realizing that Arn is teasing him by putting a stone on his chest instead of the customary lump of sugar, Mek tells Arn that he has a treat for him. What is the treat?

5. When the trucks of Khmer Rouge soldiers first arrive, what does the radio tell the Cambodian people to do?

Short Essay Questions

1. When Arn finally realizes the true purpose of the band's music, he is shocked and saddened. What is that purpose and how does it transform Arn's idea of the music he plays with the other members of the band under Mek's guidance?

2. How does Arn fix the problem of the new music teacher's apathy and what effect does this solution have on the band's members?

3. When the evacuees are finally allowed to stop to set up camp in groups of around a thousand people each, what do Arn and his little sister Sophea discover about the Khmer Rouge's philosophies when they sneak around listening to the soldiers' conversations?

4. After Arn is chosen by Khmer Rouge leaders to play music in their band, Arn sees there are positive results and negative results of his being chosen. What are they and what does this show about one's fate under the rule of the Khmer Rouge?

5. What ploy do the Khmer Rouge use to get the government soldiers to come to the airport and what happens once they arrive?

6. How does Arn describe his village at the opening of the novel before the Khmer Rouge arrive?

7. What do Arn and his little brother Munny do after they sneak in to see the American movie and what happens to make them hide?

8. When Arn sneaks out to tell Mek about the soldier who forced him to cook the liver of a murdered captive, he is caught by a soldier but does not suffer the dire consequences he is expecting. What happens instead and what significance does it hold for Arn?

9. What is the significance of the escape from camp by the boy from Arn's village?

10. When a new mail carrier comes into camp, he shares some news with Arn. What part of the news does Arn doubt and what is the significance of this doubt?

(see the answer keys)

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