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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 is Fierro's wife, soon to be separated?

2. Who is Coleman's son?

3. Who is Coleman's husband?

4. What does Nora find out her father ordered for a woman who was not her mother?

5. What does Jeremy say Fierro has to do as a condition of bail?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens to Driss's donut shop after 9/11?

2. Why does Nora get upset at Salma's husband Tareq for his suggestions early in Part I?

3. Why does Jeremy go to see Mary in Part II?

4. How do Nora and Salma embarrass Maryam in Part II?

5. What happens at the school play that ruins it for Efrain?

6. Why does Jeremy decide to go to Nora's family's house for her father's wake?

7. What does Anderson Baker tell Coleman about the night Driss died in Part II?

8. Who tries to persuade Efrain to go to the police with his information, and why?

9. Why is Coleman uncomfortable talking to Murphy?

10. What is Nora's relationship with Salma like?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Why do you think Lalami chose to write this book from the perspectives of many different characters, and what effect does this choice have on the reader? Write an essay explaining your answers.

Essay Topic 2

What specific worries does Coleman have about her son throughout the novel, and what do these particular worries reveal about society's stereotypes and expectations regarding young Black men? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 3

What does music represent for Nora? Why is her experience of finally receiving a fellowship at a prestigious composers' gathering at the end of the novel so wrenching and disappointing to her? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 589 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample