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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 country was Laila Lalami born?

2. What border wall does Lalami describe seeing when she was on her way from L.A. to El Paso in the chapter "Borders"?

3. What does Lalami say she observed in Marfa, where she arrived after being stopped at the Sierra Blanca border?

4. Under which administration was Operation Hold the Line, which allowed for increased Border Patrol presence?

5. What border wall does Lalami say Nixon condemned during his presidency?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the history of Chinese immigration to American that Lalami notes in "Assimilation" between 1875 and 1924?

2. In what ways did Lalami's grandmother live a traditional Muslim life?

3. How does Lalami describe Donald Trump's rhetoric regarding immigrants in "Borders"?

4. What are some of the strict rules Lalami says she learned of her religion in the chapter "Faith"?

5. In what ways does Lalami say she lives in the gray zone at the end of "Faith"?

6. What was Pat Buchanan's response in 1992 against Bush's 1990 law allowing more immigrants to apply for visas?

7. What was the Demographics Unit that Lalami discusses at the end of "Allegiance"?

8. What information does Lalami provide about her mother's early life in "Faith"?

9. Describe the conversation Lalami had with a seat mate on an airplane about Koreans in Gardena, California.

10. Under what administration was Operation Hold the Line implemented? How successful was it?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay exploring the topic of assimilation in Conditional Citizens. Define assimilation. How is the definition different between nationalists and multiculturalists? What are some examples Lalami cites of American expectations that immigrants should assimilate? In what ways were people forced to assimilate in America? What does she note about French immigrants in Morocco?

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay describing the visual images and symbols used in Conditional Citizens. Identify direct examples from the book and explore possible meanings.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay exploring Lalami's background in Morocco based on information in Conditional Citizens. What details of her life in Morocco does she provide? Why is this information important to the narrative?

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