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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 job does El Saadawi hold that led her to meet Firdaus?

2. How does El Saadawi feel when she meets Firdaus for the first time?

3. How did Miss Iqbal treat Firdaus after the night she saw her crying?

4. What magazine did El Saadawi work for in the 1970's?

5. Who came to see Firdaus at the playground the night of her graduation?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did Sheikh Mahmoud treat Firdaus?

2. How did Firdaus feel when she moved into her uncle's home? What happened when she saw the mirror?

3. How did Sharifa Salah el Dine help Firdaus after she escaped from Bayoumi?

4. How did Miss Iqbal treat Firdaus after she saw her crying?

5. What was El Saadawi's initial meeting with Firdaus like?

6. What happened the night Firdaus saw Miss Iqbal crying?

7. How did El Saadawi finally meet Firdaus?

8. How did Firdaus react after spending the night with Sheikh Mahmoud ? Why did she react this way?

9. How did Firdaus perform at school? What were here interests?

10. Who is Bayoumi and how did he help and hurt Firdaus?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does El Saadawi address the theme of power in her book? Choose two examples of power and explain how these examples contribute to Firdaus' experience.

Essay Topic 2

What role does El Saadawi play in this book other then author? How does she relate to Firdaus? Do they learn from each other or is El Saadawi the only one that benefits from the relationship?

Essay Topic 3

How does the setting effect the reader's experience of the story? Does it matter that the story is set in another country? Describe the setting of the story and explain how it is intertwined with the plot.

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