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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 did Nadira's father take upon arriving in the United States?

2. What is the name of the second lawyer that the Hossains hire to make them legal?

3. Where is Abba incarcerated when he is detained for having an expired visa?

4. When Abba saw Ma at a Bengali New Year fair, he refused to do what until his father arranged their marriage?

5. What nation divided Bengal in half in an act called Partition?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Abba's family do once he is taken away in Section 2: Chapter 2? How do they feel?

2. Why does Nadira seek her sister out at school in Section 7: Chapter 9? Where do they go after school?

3. What interaction does Nadira have with Tareq in Section 4: Chapter 5? How does she describe this character?

4. What Partition does Nadira describe in Section 3: Chapter 3? What was its impact on the Bengali people?

5. What does Nadira think about her sister on the ride back home in Section 3: Chapter 4? What do they talk about?

6. What do Aisha and Nadira learn from their mother in Section 7: Chapter 9? Who approaches, attempting to help?

7. How does Nadira feel about her sister? How does she describe Aisha in Section 1: Chapter 1?

8. What does Nadira say her father has taught her about morality in America in Section 6: Chapter 7?

9. Who accosts Nadira on the bus in Section 5: Chapter 6? What is Nadira's response?

10. What thoughts consume the Nadira and Aisha in Section 1: Chapter 1 as the family drives to seek asylum?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the theme of family in the novel. What symbolism supports this theme? How does Nadira feel about her family, and how do these feelings progress in the narrative? How does the Hossain family evolve in the story?

Essay Topic 2

Describe and analyze the major conflicts and obstacles for the Hossains in the novel. What external conflicts do the Hossains face? What internal conflicts plague the protagonist? How do each of these conflicts serve to create tension and suspense in the novel?

Essay Topic 3

Describe and discuss the history of Bangladesh, and how this history relates to Nadira's family in the novel. How does Nadira describe the lives of her ancestors? What drove her great-grandparents to Dhaka? What was the principal impetus for Bengalis to immigrate to the United States?

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