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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 is a literary device in which an author indistinctly suggests certain plot developments that might come later in the story?

2. What political party did Ayaan Hirsi Ali represent in the Dutch House of Representatives?

3. In Chapter Four, "Weeping Orphans and Widowed Wives," Ayaan attends school with whom?

4. What British Indian novelist and essayist wrote the book "The Satanic Verses"?

5. What refers to a Somali gathering of elders to discuss and decide on an important matter?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did Ayaan's character develop in Chapter 8, "Refugees"? What is foreseen about the protagonist in this chapter?

2. How does the author describe her grandmother in Chapter 1, "Bloodlines"?

3. How is Ayaan's father described in Chapter 3, "Playing Tag in Allah's Palace"?

4. Who was Theodore van Gogh? How is he described in the book's Introduction?

5. Who did Ayaan's father plan for Ayaan to marry in Chapter 9, "Abeh"? How did she feel about the arrangement?

6. How does the author describe her first kiss and her relationship with Islam in Chapter 6, "Doubt and Defiance"?

7. What conflict arose between Ayaan and her mother in Chapter 9, "Abeh"? What became of the situation?

8. How is Ayaan's father described in Chapter 1, "Bloodlines"? When did he marry Ayaan's mother?

9. How was the living situation described when the war broke out in Chapter 8, "Refugees"?

10. What is foreshadowed in the author's discussion of government in Chapter 4, "Weeping Orphans and Widowed Wives"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe and discuss the setting of Kenya and the Muslim Brotherhood. When was the Muslim Brotherhood first active? How did the Muslim Brotherhood influence the author? How does she describe her relationship to Islam during the period in which she lived in Kenya?

Essay Topic 2

Describe and discuss Ayaan's relationships and experiences in Somalia in 1990. How did faith play a role in Ayaan's life at this point? With whom did she share a romantic relationship and why did she end the affair? How did Ayaan's views on romantic relationships differ from those of her siblings?

Essay Topic 3

Describe and discuss the settings of Jeddah and Saudi Arabia in 1978. Where was Ayaan's father working during this time? How did Ayaan's mother feel about living in Saudi Arabia? How does the author describe the differences in Saudi Arabia from those of Kenya or Somalia?

(see the answer keys)

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