Season of Migration to the North

Multiple Choice and Long Answer questions create ideal opportunities for whole-text review, unit exam, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. Which phrase best describes the narrator’s emotions after returning to his homeland?

A) Filled with disdain and regret

B) Ashamed of his previous faults

C) Delighted with reuniting with his people

D) Disturbed by the lack of progress in the village

2. As the narrator revisits areas he spent time at during his childhood, he notes, “Seeing the bank contracting at one place and expanding at another, I would think that such was life: with a hand it gives, with the other it takes. Perhaps, though, it was later that I realized this.” Which of the following literary terms does the narrator use in this quote?

A) Malapropism

B) Maxim

C) Metaphor

D) Metonymy

3. Based on his initial conversation with Mustafa, which traits best encapsulate the narrator’s character?

A) Assured

B) Agile

C) Altruistic

D) Animated

4. In his narration to the narrator, how does Mustafa distinguish the different periods of youth in his life?

A) By the women he learned from and lived with

B) Through the languages he studied

C) By the amount of money he made

D) By the men he worked for

5. What supernatural entity does the narrator compare Mustafa to throughout the novel?

A) A ghost

B) A ghoul

C) A spirit

D) A phantom

6. As the narrator walks through his village at night, he ponders, “The fact that they came to our land, I know not why does that mean that we should poison our present and our future? Sooner or later they will leave our country just as many people throughout history left many countries. The railways, ships, hospitals, factories and schools will be ours and we’ll speak their language without either a sense of guilt or a sense of gratitude. Once again we shall be as we were — ordinary people — and if we are lies we shall be lies of our own making.” Which of the following phrases best summarizes this quote?

A) Commentary on postcolonialism

B) Assertion of Arab hegemony

C) An aside on the evils of patriarchy

D) Concern for the future of Egypt

7. Which of the following phrases best describes how the narrator perceives the scent of his grandfather?

A) A perfume from the prayer mat

B) A dichotomy between life and death

C) An extension of the farmland

D) An obtrusion on the landscape

8. Which of the following sentiments does the narrator reflect on in his recollection of the conference in Khartoum?

A) The progress of African unification

B) The hypocrisy of rural schoolteachers

C) The lack of moderation in humanity

D) The colonization of the Nile region

9. Which of the following observations does the narrator interweave throughout the novel?

A) The climate of the region

B) The sight of the hyenas

C) The touch of Hosna’s hands

D) The sound of the church bells

10. Which of the following statements about the women Mustafa seduced is true?

A) They all varied in ethnic and religious backgrounds.

B) They all shared a fascination for his African heritage.

C) They all died by suicide.

D) They all bore him sons.

11. Which of the following traits best describes why Mustafa left his room key for the narrator?

A) Generosity

B) Reciprocity

C) Complexity

D) Egocentricity

12. The narrator reflects upon Mustafa’s memory with Jean Morris: “I was the invader who had come from the South, and this was the icy battlefield from which I would not make a safe return. I was the pirate sailor and Jean Morris the shore of destruction. And yet I did not care. I took her, there in the open air, unconcerned whether we could be seen or heard by people.” Which of the following literary terms does Mustafa use in this quote?

A) Malapropism

B) Maxim

C) Metaphor

D) Metonymy

13. Which female body part do the characters repeatedly reference throughout the novel?

A) Open thighs

B) Dancing eyes

C) Sensual lips

D) Delicate feet

14. Which of the following phrases best describes the final scene of the novel?

A) Relinquishing a grasp on living in the present

B) Conquering the patriarchal hold on village life

C) Adopting a pessimistic attitude for a future outlook

D) Wrestling with the ambiguity of living in a postcolonial era

15. Which of the following phrases best describes what the villagers say after a particularly indecorous comment?

A) A declaration of humor

B) A submission to God

C) An apology to the person offended

D) A statement of religious apathy

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating text details to support your response.

1. What is known about the narrator of the novel? What does the reader’s knowledge of the narrator imply about the narrative’s focus?

2. Is the story told in a linear chronology? How does the timeline of the narrative shape the effect of the narration?