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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 "The French Harem," what does Mernissi say she had to have permission to do?

2. In what year did Tamou arrive at Grandfather Tazi's farm?

3. How many rows did the harem reserve for themselves at the movies?

4. What did Krisha's wife not like to do?

5. What did Mernissi's mother do before going to the movies?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe Zin's physical appearance.

2. What part of communal life did Mernissi's mother hate the most?

3. Why did Mernissi consider the French soldiers to be fearful of the citizens of Medina?

4. How did the harem in the city differ from the one at Mernissi's grandfather's farm?

5. What did Fatima Mernissi do as a child while she waited for her mother to wake up each morning?

6. Describe Aunt Habiba's room.

7. What did Chama enjoy doing?

8. Describe Yasmina's appearance.

9. How did Grandfather Tazi try and persuade Yasmina to stop calling her duck Thor after his first wife?

10. What did Mernissi like about Chama's theory about how the harem first got started?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss Mernissi's mother's search for happiness. In her restricted world, what choices did she make to try and improve her life? What did she tell her daughter about happiness?

Essay Topic 2

Compare the quality of life for women in the harems in Fez and on Grandfather Tazi's farm. Who seemed to have more freedom?

Essay Topic 3

Why did Mernissi fear the French soldiers as a young child? What did she and Samir witness regarding the soldiers that had a negative effect on them? Why does Mernissi say the French were greedy?

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