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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. What does the person who hit Driss say he thought he had hit?

2. What does Marty tell Nora her father promised him?

3. What does Nora remember A.J. having scrawled on her locker in high school?

4. What does A.J. remember doing with his mother that he liked?

5. Who does Jeremy meet and say hello to in the grocery store in Part IV?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is Nora frustrated with Ray in Part IV?

2. What does Nora remember about A.J. from high school?

3. What does Fierro asks Jeremy about Nora in Part IV that upsets him?

4. Why is Nora angry with Salma about Anderson Baker's court appearance?

5. What does Nora begin to piece together as a reason Anderson Baker might have wanted to kill her father?

6. Why does Nora become committed to the idea of running The Pantry in Part IV?

7. What does Fletcher do in Iraq that Jeremy can never get over?

8. How does Maryam feel about the diner?

9. Why does Nora decide not to tell her mother about Driss's affair?

10. How is Efrain thinking about Driss in Part III?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does Coleman finally arrive at the accurate conclusion as to who was responsible for Driss's death? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 2

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 3

How does Lalami communicate the disappointments and betrayals of different characters in this novel? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

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