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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. Ayaan was determined to escape and so she went to visit what person whom she helped rescue and bring into Kenya from the border of Somalia in Chapter 10, "Running Away"?

2. Ayaan was able to apply for citizenship in Holland how many years after attaining refugee status in Chapter 10, "Running Away"?

3. Where did Ayaan decide to take a position in the U.S. in the Epilogue?

4. In Chapter 14, "Leaving God," Ayaan visited her father where in the spring of 2000?

5. Whose quotes did Ayaan claim to find in the Quran after the September 11 attacks in the U.S.?

Short Essay Questions

1. What were Ayaan's first days as an official refugee like in Chapter 11, "A Trial by the Elders"?

2. What impression does the reader gain of Ayaan's retreat into hiding in Chapter 17, "The Murder of Theo"?

3. How does the author describe her participation in public debates in Chapter 15, "Threats"?

4. What does the author write regarding her decision to leave Holland in the Epilogue?

5. When was Theo van Gogh killed in Chapter 17, "The Murder of Theo"? What effect did his murder have on Ayaan's safety?

6. What did Ayaan lie about when seeking political asylum in Chapter 10, "Running Away"?

7. Who stole the author's refugee papers in Chapter 12, "Haweya"? Why?

8. How does the author describe her continuing education in Chapter 13, "Leiden"?

9. Where did Ayaan decide to seek political asylum in Chapter 10, "Running Away"? Why?

10. How is the beginning of the author's political career described in Chapter 16, "Politics"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe and discuss the political history of Somalia and the Somali Civil War. How did the war impact Ayaan's family? When did the war begin and what is the status of the uprising today? How did the war influence Ayaan's thoughts and her denouncement of Islam?

Essay Topic 2

Describe and discuss the settings of Jeddah and Saudi Arabia in 1978. Where was Ayaan's father working during this time? How did Ayaan's mother feel about living in Saudi Arabia? How does the author describe the differences in Saudi Arabia from those of Kenya or Somalia?

Essay Topic 3

Describe and discuss male and female circumcision in Somalia and the settings of Mogadishu and Matabaan. What is the purpose for circumcision in Somalia and other Islamic nations? Also discuss Ayaan's father's work in Chapter 2, "Under the Talal Tree." Where was Ayaan's father during this period?

(see the answer keys)

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