View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. In what month of 1990 is Leila's death covered on national television?

2. As a child, Sinan "felt more comfortable next to people who were not" what "in any way" (77)?

3. How old was Suzan when Leila was born?

4. The volatile relationship between Jameelah and which of her family members caused her to begin to spend more time on the streets?

5. What name did Leila use when referring to her father Haroun?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the symbolism of the toenail polish in the chapter entitled "Nalan's Story"?

2. How did Haroun's increasing religious fervor cause changes in Leila's life during her adolescence?

3. What does the narrator reveal about the reason for Leila's reluctance to talk about her past in the chapter entitled "Three Minutes"?

4. Which event described in "One Minute" was later considered by Binnaz, Leila's biological mother, to be the moment that "had debilitated her forever" (33)?

5. What connection does the narrator draw between Tarkan's diagnosis and Leila's alienation from her father?

6. How did Jameelah come to feel so alienated by her family that she began to spend more time on the streets?

7. What was the setting of Leila's birth?

8. How did Leila first meet Nalan?

9. What circumstances left Leila alone in her house with Tarkan and at the mercy of Uncle's predatory sexual abuse?

10. What major conflict did Jameelah have with her family after the death of her mother?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explicate the theme of hope within 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World. What is Shafak’s message regarding hope and how do you know?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss how and why Shafak instills three different humanist messages into the narrative of 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World.

Essay Topic 3

Analyze Shafak’s novel from an Existential perspective. What elements of life does it suggest hold the most meaning and why?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,246 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample