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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 Zahra's husband express interest to Zahra that he wanted to marry her?

2. Where does Zahra's husband go to jail?

3. Who did Faqih leave behind in Vietnam?

4. What job did Abou Zayd have after college?

5. Who did Zahra avoid on her wedding day?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Faqih dislike the French?

2. What is the Year of the Elephant ?

3. Describe Zahra's mood at the start of Chapter 4. Why does she feel this way?

4. Describe Abou Zayd's childhood and how it affected her writing.

5. Where does Zahra go to live at the end of Chapter 1?

6. What happens to Zahra's husband in Chapter 4? How does she find out?

7. What was the education crisis Morocco faced in the 1950's?

8. What imagery does the author use in Chapter 1?

9. Why does the author of the introduction claim that "Year of the Elephant" is "an event in cross-cultural literary history"?

10. How does Zahra join the Moroccan resistance movement?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does Abu Zayd address the theme of independence in his "Year of the Elephant"? Choose two examples of examples of this theme and explain how these examples contribute to the message of the story.

Essay Topic 2

How does the theme of abandonment present itself in the story "Divorce". How was the main character affected by abandonment in his childhood and how does he act out in adulthood?

Essay Topic 3

Define the term flashback. How does Abu Zayd use flashbacks in her book? Provide two examples of flashbacks and how they provide the reader with important information about a central character.

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