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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 did Mustafa feel when he grew up?

2. When were rooms added to the grandfather's house?

3. What does the narrator's sister think about Western women?

4. How was Mustafa presented at his trial?

5. How long has the narrator been gone before returning to his village in Africa?

Short Essay Questions

1. What did Mustafa's school career look like?

2. What was left for the narrator after Mustafa disappears?

3. Does Mustafa Sa'eed become an obsession for the narrator?

4. What do you know about Mustafa's family and how did that affect him?

5. What did Mustafa want for his sons?

6. How do the narrator and Mustafa first meet and what do they learn about each other?

7. How can you relate the narrator to the Acacia tree?

8. How did the narrator feel about being back in his old village after being gone for seven years?

9. What did Mustafa do after he was released from prison?

10. Whose story did the narrator interrupt when arriving at his grandfather's house one day and what was the story about?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Mustafa's widow and the narrator have a complicated relationship. How would you describe their relationship? Why is it complicated? Why are the complicated issues not resolved? How does this relation influence the life of both characters? How would you resolve a similar situation?

Essay Topic 2

Throughout the book, a lot of people talk about Mustafa to the narrator. Summarize the information the narrator collects about Mustafa. Who does the narrator meet that talks to him about Mustafa? In which circumstances does this happen? What does the narrator learn about Mustafa? What is being said? How does he react to this information? What is said about Mustafa that is contradictory with the narrator's information? Who, of all these people with information, actually met Mustafa in person? Why do you think all these people talk about Mustafa and praise him? How do you think the narrator feels about this?

Essay Topic 3

The narrator's grandfather plays an important role in the narrator's life. Explain their relationship and use examples from the different chapters. What do you know about the grandfather? Where does he live? How does his house look like? What kind of a person is he? What do he and the narrator talk about? How do you know he is important to the narrator? Relate this importance to the narrator's memories and his experiences when visiting his village.

(see the answer keys)

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