View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is the name of Ayaan's mother in the book?

2. When was Ayaan Hirsi Ali born?

3. Chapter 7, "Disillusion and Deceit" describes what length of time in which Ayaan lived in Somalia?

4. Who was Hirsi Megan's first wife?

5. What was the name of Ayaan's half-sister through her father who was very religious and wore the veil?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is foreshadowed in the author's discussion of government in Chapter 4, "Weeping Orphans and Widowed Wives"?

2. Who was Theodore van Gogh? How is he described in the book's Introduction?

3. How is the physical abuse the author withstood described in Chapter 5, "Secret Rendezvous, Sex, and the Scent of Sukumawiki"?

4. How did Ayaan's character develop in Chapter 8, "Refugees"? What is foreseen about the protagonist in this chapter?

5. What did the author learn from looking back at her childhood in Chapter 4, "Weeping Orphans and Widowed Wives"?

6. How is the marriage of Ayaan's grandmother described in Chapter 1, "Bloodlines"?

7. Who did Ayaan's father marry in Chapter 9, "Abeh"? Why?

8. How is the author's relationship to Islam described in Chapter 6, "Doubt and Defiance"? How was Haweya's?

9. Where did Ayaan's father go after escaping prison in Chapter 2, "Under the Talal Tree"? What did he do there?

10. What led to Ayaan's return to Mogadishu in Chapter 6, "Doubt and Defiance"? Who granted her permission to go?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss Ayaan's decision to seek refugee status in Chapter 10, "Running Away." Why did she initially hope to move to England? Who changed her mind and why? Also discuss Ayaan's impressions of Germany. How did she compare it to Somalia?

Essay Topic 2

Describe and discuss Maryan Farah and Abeh's marriage to her in Chapter 9, "Abeh." How many daughters did Abeh have with his first wife? What were the laws like regarding divorce and marriage within the Islamic faith at this time? How did the children of Abeh's first wife feel about Ayaan and her siblings?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss and analyze the author's year in Ethiopia in Chapter 4, "Weeping Orphans and Widowed Wives." What led the family to move to Kenya? Also describe Ayaan's first encounters with Christianity at the school in Ethiopia. What were the living circumstances like for the author?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 900 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample