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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What is bakshish?
(a) A legal document.
(b) An army.
(c) A bribe.
(d) A salesperson.

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

3. How many Armenian soldiers defended their country when half a million Persian soldiers invaded in the fifth century?
(a) 100,000.
(b) 75,000.
(c) 25,000.
(d) 60,000.

4. Where were the Roman ruins that Balakian wanted to visit while in Lebanon?
(a) Baalbek.
(b) Sidon.
(c) Byblos.
(d) Tyre.

5. Who was the only invader to have successfully stormed the massive walls built in Aleppo by Ghazi?
(a) Genghis Khan.
(b) Kublai Khan.
(c) Saladin.
(d) Tamerlane.

Short Answer Questions

1. Where did Balakian carry the bones he collected at Der Zor when he went through customs in New York?

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

3. In what nation is Nagorno-Karabagh currently located?

4. In what Turkish city did Abdul Hamid loyalists carry out atrocities against the Armenians in 1909?

5. Who wrote The Nazi Doctors?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why did the Armenians form reform movements under Ottoman rule during the 1890s?

2. How did the atmosphere of Syria differ from that of Lebanon when Balakian visited in 2005?

3. How did writing the poem, "The History of Armenia," help Balakian process his new knowledge of his people's history?

4. What did Dovey mean when she said that Turkish culture was theft?

5. Why did Aunt Anna likely embrace surrealism rather than realism in literature?

6. Why did Balakian take the bones from the memorial site at Der Zor?

7. According to Aunt Gladys, why did the Armenians in America never talk about the genocide?

8. How has Turkey's denial of the genocide affected its development as a modern nation?

9. What was the deeper significance of the 500 pairs of shoes stolen by the Turks from Balakian's grandfather?

10. What were the Young Turks like in terms of personality and education?

(see the answer keys)

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