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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 people make up Zahra's family class?
2. Who does Faqih hate?
3. What crisis did Morocco face in the mid 1950s?
4. What is the "first" this book is known for?
5. What did Zahra feel her role was once she married?
Short Essay Questions
1. Who is the local "faqih" and how does he help Zahra in Chapter 1?
2. Why might Abou Zayd have written "Year of the Elephant" in Arabic?
3. What did Zahra describe as an oasis and desert and why?
4. How does Zahra's husband sneak Faqih out of town?
5. Why does the author of the introduction claim that "Year of the Elephant" is "an event in cross-cultural literary history"?
6. What happened in Morocco when it gained independence?
7. Who is Rahma and why does Zahra want to get to know her?
8. Who raised Zahra and why could she not go back to their home?
9. What imagery does the author use in Chapter 1?
10. Why does Zahra go to the post office in Chapter 3?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
Define the literary term conflict. How does conflict appear in literature? Choose two stories in Abu Zayd's collection and explain the conflict or conflicts in each story.
Essay Topic 2
Discuss the character of Zahra. How does Zahra change from the beginning to the end of the book "Year of the Elephant"? Why? Do you believe Zahra is innocent at any point of the book? When does she loose her innocence? Choose one other character in the book and explain their relationship with Zahra..
Essay Topic 3
Compare and contrast the genres of fiction and non-fiction. Which genre does this book fall? How does narration cloud the reader's understanding of fiction and non-fiction?
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