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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 caused Ayaan's mother to become even more hostile toward others in Chapter Four, "Weeping Orphans and Widowed Wives"?

2. What is the name of the cousin Ayaan met and secretly married in Chapter 7, "Disillusion and Deceit"?

3. What refers to a Somali gathering of elders to discuss and decide on an important matter?

4. Haweya returns and she and Ayaan attend what together in Chapter 6, "Doubt and Defiance"?

5. Who encourages Ayaan's secret wedding to her cousin in Chapter 7, "Disillusion and Deceit"?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who wrote a letter to Ayaan in Chapter 8, "Refugees"? What did Ayaan respond?

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

3. What led to Ayaan's entering school in Chapter 2, "Under the Talal Tree"? What did Ayaan learn early on there?

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

5. Where did Ayaan's family move in Chapter 3, "Playing Tag in Allah's Palace"? How was their arrival described?

6. What conflict arose between Ayaan and her mother in Chapter 9, "Abeh"? What became of the situation?

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

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

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

10. How was the author's relationship to her mother described in Chapter 6, "Doubt and Defiance"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

Discuss clan history and structure in Somalia and the figure of Farah Goure in the narrative. Why did Ayaan go to the clan leader? What was his decision? Why did the author decide to return to Somalia and how had it changed since her childhood?

Essay Topic 3

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?

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