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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. Who called to Mustafa in Chapter 1: "The Story of La Florida" to inquire about the pebble he had found?

2. How old was Heniya when she married Mustafa's father?

3. Who pretended to understand the Indians' language and then ordered them to be locked in the storehouse?

4. Mustafa states that he is writing the account that makes up the pages of the book how long after the events transpired?

5. Which member of the expedition wore a black eye patch?

Short Essay Questions

1. Discuss an instance when Lalami uses an unconventional metaphor within the text.

2. Discuss a scene Mustafa describes that would almost certainly not have appeared in the "Castilian gentlemen's" (3) official account?

3. In what way did Mustafa again undergo a name change when he was purchased by Señor Dorantes? What significance does he now find in this change?

4. In what way does Lalami include the theme of invisibility in the Prologue of the novel?

5. How did Señor Ruíz come to lose an eye during the march toward Aute?

6. In what way does the motif of water enter the story of Mustafa's birth, as related in Chapter 2: "The Story of My Birth"?

7. What element of the marriage between Dorotea and Bernardo Rodriguez does Mustafa name as the secret to its success?

8. How did Mustafa react to his father's plans for Mustafa's future career?

9. What change occurred in the personality of Mustafa's father and what caused the change?

10. Provide evidence for the conclusion that Mustafa at times willfully accepted blame for acts over which he had no control.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss Lalami’s messages about guilt and responsibility within The Moor's Account. Focus especially on events such as the incarceration of the followers of the Children of the Sun that comes about as a result of Mustafa’s actions.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the messages sent about the theme of appearance versus reality within The Moor's Account.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the instances of irony within the narrative of The Moor's Account and analyze Lalami’s purpose for including each instance you discuss.

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