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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 does Francine say about women like Mina's mother in Part II?

2. Which country became home to the largest number of Syrian refugees?

3. What is one of the first things volunteers give the refugees?

4. Where did Mina's father used to take the family on trips to?

5. Where did Mina's father often hunt?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who was the only person Mina ever talked about her family with and why?

2. Why do Mina and Asma have a special affinity?

3. What does Mina remember her mother spending a lot of extra money on when she was a child?

4. Why has Emma asked Mina to come help on Lesbos?

5. Whose betrayal hurt Mina more than that of her parents?

6. What does Mina buy for the children in "The Little Rascals Go to Camp" and how does this turn out?

7. Why is Mina estranged from her parents and siblings except for Mazen?

8. In "Here Comes the Boat," what is Mina surprised to hear about some of the young volunteers?

9. In "Doctors in Drag," why does the family ask Mina if she is a man?

10. Why is Mina's being a woman significant in her work as a doctor with the refugees?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does Alameddine treat the topic of empathy throughout the novel? Why do you think Alameddine has the unnamed writer proclaim that empathy is overrated? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 2

What specific aspects of Mina's childhood does Alameddine reveal to the reader over the course of the novel that provide the reader with some insights and understanding into the struggles she faced as a result of her gender identity? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 3

When and how does Alameddine reveal the unnamed writer's deeply conflicted feelings about his work and about covering the refugee crisis? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

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