A Hope More Powerful Than the Sea

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

Multiple Choice

1. Why does Doaa become shy in her early years?

A) Her family is frequently moving.

B) Her cousins bully her.

C) Shokori’s family criticizes her.

D) She is not good with people.

2. What first incites the Syrian conflict?

A) Civil unrest

B) Bashar al-Assad

C) Protesters

D) Drought

3. Which event reinforces Doaa’s dream to become a policewoman?

A)  Doaa’s parent’s encouragement to live her dream

B) Teachings on the Syrian formative feminist movement

C) Her oppressive background with Shokri’s family

D) Her sisters’ failed marriages

4. Why do the people of Syria celebrate the fall of the oppressive regime in Egypt?

A) They have often been victims of brutal attacks by Egyptian authorities.

B) They have seen the oppressive acts of the Egyptians and are glad the people are free.

C) They feel as if it were their own victory over the government.

D) They feel as though Egypt is their own country.

5. What event marks the turning point of Doaa’s belief about her country?

A) When her father is arrested for smuggling across the Jordan

B) The freedom achieved by the Egyptian government

C) Her countrymen’s rejection of her desire to be a police officer

D) The rioters on Mother’s Day

6. What does the loss of Doaa’s engagement ring mean to Doaa?

A) She believes she will never have a real wedding with her husband.

B) She believes she will lose her husband.

C) It symbolizes the loss of her desire to marry.

D) It symbolizes her choice not to marry.

7. How does Doaa’s attitude toward Bassem change over the course of the book?

A) She changes her attitude toward him because of his kindness to her family.

B) She grows in resentment toward him because he manipulated her decision to marry.

C) She cares for him as much as she did when she first met him.

D) Doaa’s attitude toward Bassem does not change in the book.

8. Doaa’s account has interesting details about the people who are trapped amid so many political battles. What does her revelation about how people who are on opposite ends of the political spectrum say about Doaa’s experience?

A) She realizes that all people who work for the government are inherently evil.

B) She believes people who enforce political ideals are cruel.

C) She recognizes that there is some good in all people.

D) She acknowledges that though political ideals differ, there are good people who want to help her.

9. What is the best reason the smugglers take advantage of those attempting to leave Egypt?

A) They take advantage of the desperation of those who do not belong in Egypt.

B) The smugglers price gouge passengers knowing they have no other option.

C) There is more at stake for the passengers than the smugglers.

D) The cruelty of the smugglers creates fear in the passengers, so they do as they say.

10. What does the diversity of the passengers on the smugglers’ boat indicate about the environment in Egypt?

A) The people in Egypt are not friendly to foreigners.

B) The political situation in Egypt is volatile enough that many want to escape.

C) Europe has many more opportunities for those who are poor.

D) The consequences are not great enough to prevent people from leaving.

11. Why does Doaa long to return to Syria?

A) She wants to see her older siblings.

B) She misses her extended family and cousins.

C) She wants to assist in the change that is needed there.

D) She wants to become a policewoman to help Syrians.

12. Which of the following is an example of Doaa Finding a Sense of Purpose in the book?

A) She meets Bassem and marries him.

B) She escapes Egypt as a refugee.

C) She fights for Syrian rights in Egypt.

D) She begins to work in a factory in Egypt.

13. How does Doaa’s personality change over the course of the book?

A) She becomes less shy and begins to speak out for refugees.

B) She becomes more shy as the oppression of her people increases.

C) She becomes more hopeful that the conflict in Syria will be resolved.

D) She becomes less shy and gets a job at a factory.

14. How does Doaa’s perspective on the Syrian government change over the course of the book?

A) She ultimately decides she wants to fight against the government’s oppression.

B) Doaa decides not to return to Syria because she no longer has Bassem.

C) Doaa’s perspective changes from a localized perspective to a global perspective.

D) Doaa decides to fight for the rights of the Syrian government overseas.

15. Why do the refugees feel unwelcome in Egypt?

A) There are not enough resources for them to survive.

B) Work is hard to find because there are so many of them.

C) Egypt does not like that the refugees are using their resources.

D) Sisi’s reign is not welcoming to them.

Long Answer

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

1. The book opens with a scene from the end of the narrative. Describe the scene. In what ways does this structural decision of the author affect the telling of Doaa’s story?

2. Violence is a common motif throughout the text. What might be the symbolic meaning of the various instances of violence portrayed throughout the story?