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

2. The narrator states that Jameelah's mother subscribed to what religion at the time of Jameelah's birth?

3. What name did Leila use when referring to Binnaz?

4. How many of his own siblings did Haroun raise after their parents died in a car accident?

5. To whom is the epigraph of the novel 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World attributed?

Short Essay Questions

1. Discuss a particular detail in the prologue entitled "The End" that communicates an element of Leila's personality.

2. In what way is the theme of courage depicted within the chapter entitled "Three Minutes"?

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

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

5. 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)?

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

7. In what way did Leila make a sacrifice willingly in order to get under Uncle's skin at a family function?

8. In what way does Bitter Ma exact revenge on the client who chastises her for the picture of Sultan Abdulaziz hanging in the brothel?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write a critical essay about 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World while using the critical power theory lens of feminist theory. Use textual evidence to back up your strong, specific claim regarding the novel's treatment of gender roles, the objectification of women, female empowerment, misogyny's role within society, or any other issues related to feminist theory that can be found in the novel.

Essay Topic 2

What is the function of D/Ali’s character within the novel? Discuss the characterization methods used by Shafak in depicting D/Ali and include in your discussion the reasons that Shafak portrays D/Ali in these particular ways.

Essay Topic 3

William Faulkner once famously claimed that the most important literature deals with the subject of the human heart in conflict with itself. Explain how the theme of Human versus Self is demonstrated within Shafak’s novel 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World. Create a decisive, arguable claim and prove it with quotes from the novel.

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