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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 Part 2, Chapter 15, what does Dr. A. do that causes a student to honor him many years later?

2. What is the Dear Jane Society?

3. Why do the students begin to keep vigils at the University of Tehran?

4. How does Nafisi describe the Iranian perception of America?

5. Why does Nafisi state it is important to introduce her students to the works of Saul Bellow?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Nafisi do during her early years as a professor at the University of Tehran?

2. What kind of man is Mr. Bahri?

3. What does Nafisi mean by her statement that she "left Iran, but Iran did not leave me?"

4. Part 2, Chapter 11 begins with a quote from Mike Gold, "Art is useful as bread." How is this quote related to the rest of the chapter and to previous incidents in Nafisi's text?

5. In Part 3, Chapter 14, why does Nafisi describe her students in such detail?

6. Why does Nafisi get upset with students in her class at Alzahrah University (Part 3, Chapter 25)?

7. What does the Islamist Iranian regime have in common with the theme of Fitzgerald's novel "The Great Gatsby"?

8. How are the contemporary events in Iran similar to the events that Nafisi describes in her classroom?

9. Why does Nafisi add an epilogue to the end of the memoir?

10. Nafisi first mentions the magician in Part 1, Chapter 10. Why does she wait until Part 2, Chapter 20, to describe him more fully?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Nafisi presents several male students as passionate about the values of the Islamist Republic of Iran. In what ways are Mr. Bahri, Mr. Nyazi, and Mr. Ghomi similar? In what ways are they different? Which one of those students is portrayed as being in closest agreement with the regime? What evidence supports your choice?

Essay Topic 2

Nafisi is the narrator for the actions of herself, the regime, and her students throughout the book. What would a credible witness say about the actions of a totalitarian regime? Is Nafisi a credible reporter? Is her credibility complete or does it have obvious biases that challenge her credibility? Does her credibility remain the same throughout the book? What evidence within the book supports your claims?

Essay Topic 3

Choose one of the students from one of Nafisi's University classes and one of the students from Nafisi's secret class. Describe how the life of each character was shaped through his or her interaction with fiction. What role or roles does fiction play in the life of that character? Does the character change at all through his or her interaction with fiction?

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