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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. When Sophea shows up at the camp, what reason does she give for their aunt sending her to look for Arn?

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?

3. How old is Arn when the novel's narrative first begins?

4. What does Arn say that convinces the new music teacher to make more of an effort to teach the children?

5. After asking Sombo many times why he is permissive with Arn and overlooks his breaking of the rules, Sombo reveals the reason. What does he say is the reason?

Short Essay Questions

1. 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?

2. Who is the emaciated girl with the missing teeth and loose skin who arrives at Arn's camp and what does he learn from her?

3. Why do the Khmer Rouge burn everyone's clothes and all of their material belongings?

4. When a soldier from Arn's home village comes to camp, what does he offer Arn in exchange for some rice and what does Arn learn as a result of accepting his offered deal?

5. What happens to the pregnant woman and her husband who are walking next to Arn within the mass exodus of all cities? What lesson does Arn learn from seeing what happens?

6. Though at first, the villagers think that the jeeps and trucks pouring into the village is a good sign and means that the war is over, what is the first thing that happens to make Arn realize that the opposite is true?

7. What is ironic about the fact that the rice crop falls significantly short of the Khmer Rouge's expectations and they then reduce everyone's food allotment even further than before?

8. 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?

9. What are the signs that lead Arn to think that perhaps the Mango Grove is a mass burial site used by the Khmer Rouge to inter their victims?

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?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The author chooses to represent Arn's voice using an authentic form of dialect used by non-native English speakers. Analyze how this choice affects the reader's understanding of his character, the feelings inspired in the reader about the wartime atrocities he witnesses, and how the theme of redemption is ultimately received by the reader by the end of the novel.

Essay Topic 2

The motif of music is a prominent characteristic of the novel's narrative. Describe and analyze at least three instances of music references in the novel, providing a comprehensive analysis of the author's purpose in using music as a motif.

Essay Topic 3

Many instances of irony are included in the novel's narrative, including the fact that while Arn has to hide the fact that his parents were musicians to keep from being labeled an imperialist, his life is saved by his inclusion in the Khmer Rouge's musical band. Find three other instances of irony within the novel and discuss each instance's significance.

(see the answer keys)

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