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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. Why does Nafisi say the dream in "The Great Gatsby" is not a comment on America as a materialistic county?

2. Who is Mike Gold?

3. Why does Nafisi say that war was a blessing to some Iranians?

4. How does Nafisi describe the Iranian perception of America?

5. What project is Nassrin working on?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the impact of Iran's war with Iraq?

2. Why does a university staff member describe the Ayatollah's funeral as an event?

3. Why does Nafisi add an epilogue to the end of the memoir?

4. What does Nafisi mean by her statement that she "left Iran, but Iran did not leave me?"

5. What does Nassrin mean when she talks about the "ordeal of freedom" in Part 4, Chapter 20?

6. What does it mean to be complicit in one's own crimes?

7. What happens to Nafisi during her discussion with Mr. Bahri about wearing the veil?

8. What kind of man is Mr. Bahri?

9. How does Nafisi react to the increase in protests, demonstrations, and violence associated with the revolution?

10. How are Mr. Ghoni's statements about "Daisy Miller" in Part 3, Chapter 15, similar to Mr. Nyazi's statements in Part 3, Chapters 17 and 18, about "The Great Gatsby"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

America is presented as both reality and symbol, as a concept and a country. Describe the various ways America is interpreted and understood by those in Nafisi's classes and the Iranian government. How do those interpretations compare to Nafisi's personal memories and descriptions of America? What elements of America are emphasized? What elements of America are omitted? Why are there omissions?

Essay Topic 2

Choose one of the students from one of Nafisi's University classes and one of the students from Nafisi's secret class. Describe how the life of each character was shaped through his or her interaction with fiction. What role or roles does fiction play in the life of that character? Does the character change at all through his or her interaction with fiction?

Essay Topic 3

Nafisi addresses disappearance and absence as a major theme in the book. Write an essay that examines the issues of disappearance and absence in the novels Nafisi teaches, in the lives of her students, and in Nafisi's own life, both personally and professionally.

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