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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 religion was Lalami's mother forced to follow after being sent to an orphanage after her parents died?

2. How is Melilla's border different from when Lalami was a child?

3. In what year was the first mosque built in America after Syrian and Lebanese homesteaders arrived in the country?

4. In what state does Lalami say George W. Bush received 45,000 Muslim votes?

5. In "Borders," Lalami writes that the Melilla border wall separates what?

Short Essay Questions

1. What are some things Lalami had to do in order to become a U.S. citizen?

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

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

4. What are some differences Lalami highlights between how white writers are seen versus Arab and Muslim writers?

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

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

7. While reading from her novel The Moor's Account, what questions do audience members ask?

8. Why did Lalami originally move to the U.S. and how long did she plan to stay?

9. What year is it and why is Lalami at a ceremony at the start of "Allegiance"?

10. Describe Lalami's thoughts on how Arabs and Muslims are expected to act after events like 9/11?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Analyze Lalami's decision to juxtapose some of the story with her experience caring for her mother-in-law after she began to show signs of dementia. Why do you think Lalami chose to incorporate this story into the narrative? Do you think it was effective? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

Lalami notes a marked difference between how the crack epidemic, which ravaged Black communities, and the opioid epidemic, which struck mainly white rural communities, were handled. Find 1-2 articles on each and write an essay comparing and contrasting how each issues was viewed and managed.

Essay Topic 3

What do border walls signify in Conditional Citizens? What specific border walls are discussed in the book? How do these walls impact the narrative and develop themes of citizenship and inequality?

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