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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. After the assassination of Theo van Gogh, Ayaan's security detail became even tighter and over how many days was she allowed minimal contact with friends or anyone in the outside world?

2. Ayaan moved into a student house with how many other students in Chapter 13, "Leiden"?

3. What did Ayaan give her mother before returning to Holland in Chapter 13, "Leiden"?

4. What, in addition to her name, did Ayaan lie about on her paperwork for refugee status in Chapter 10, "Running Away"?

5. Where did Ayaan take a short break and visit for awhile to let things settle down in Holland in Chapter 15, "Threats"?

Short Essay Questions

1. What were Ayaan's impressions of the West when she arrived in Chapter 10, "Running Away"?

2. How does the author describe a meeting with her father in Chapter 14, "Leaving God"?

3. How does the author describe the investigation into her citizenship in the Epilogue?

4. Describe the situation in which Ayaan went into hiding in Chapter 17, "The Murder of Theo." For how long was she allowed minimal contact with friends and family?

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

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

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

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

9. How does the author describe her relationship with her sister in Chapter 13, "Leiden"?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe and discuss the setting of Kenya and the Muslim Brotherhood. When was the Muslim Brotherhood first active? How did the Muslim Brotherhood influence the author? How does she describe her relationship to Islam during the period in which she lived in Kenya?

Essay Topic 2

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?

Essay Topic 3

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?

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