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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Where were the Roman ruins visited by Balakian in Syria, after his visit to Der Zor?
(a) Damascus.
(b) Zenobia.
(c) Aleppo.
(d) Palymra.

2. Where did Balakian carry the bones he collected at Der Zor when he went through customs in New York?
(a) His coat pocket.
(b) His jeans pocket.
(c) A leather shoulder bag.
(d) His check-in luggage.

3. In what year was Haigazian University founded?
(a) 1955.
(b) 1960.
(c) 1950.
(d) 1945.

4. Where did Nafina and Dovey bump into each other in New York, several years after the genocide?
(a) Lord and Taylor.
(b) Macy's.
(c) Saks.
(d) Filene's.

5. What item, stolen from her family by the Turks, did Balakian's grandmother find in the home of a family in Aleppo?
(a) A wall hanging.
(b) A rug.
(c) A silver tea set.
(d) A painting.

6. What is involved in the torture method called bastinado?
(a) Beating the soles of the feet.
(b) Hot pincers.
(c) Pulling out fingernails.
(d) Waterboarding.

7. In what year was Morgenthau appointed ambassador to Turkey?
(a) 1915.
(b) 1913.
(c) 1910.
(d) 1908.

8. According to a 1996 article in the New York Times, what did Turkey lead all other nations in?
(a) The number of professors fired for their political activism.
(b) The number of imprisoned politicians.
(c) The number of imprisoned journalists.
(d) The number of human rights activists executed.

9. In what year did the UN declare genocide a crime against humanity?
(a) 1943.
(b) 1955.
(c) 1948.
(d) 1952.

10. When was the Umayyad Mosque built?
(a) Early seventh century.
(b) Early eighth century.
(c) Late eighth century.
(d) Early ninth century.

11. What does the name Zivart mean in Armenian?
(a) Happiness.
(b) Peace.
(c) Joy.
(d) Love.

12. According to the compensation claim document, how old was Nafina's father when he was killed?
(a) 70.
(b) 75.
(c) 65.
(d) 58.

13. About how many Armenians were sent on the forced marches into the desert during the first six months of the genocide?
(a) 800,000.
(b) 1.8 million.
(c) 1.2 million.
(d) 1.5 million.

14. Whose assassination was gripping the people of Lebanon when Balakian arrived in Beirut in 2005?
(a) Prime Minister Saad Hariri.
(b) President Walid Jumblatt.
(c) President Michel Aoun.
(d) Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri.

15. What did Nafina work as in Aleppo, before emigrating to the United States?
(a) A maid.
(b) A cook.
(c) A tailoress.
(d) A teacher.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is bakshish?

2. What city managed to protect itself from Turkish invaders in the 17th century, thereby stopping the expansion of Ottoman power throughout Western Europe?

3. Where was the Armenian King Leo V buried?

4. What movie was showing on the airplane when Balakian returned to the United States?

5. Where was Balakian giving the poetry reading which his Aunt Anna attended?

(see the answer keys)

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