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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 classification of his work does the unnamed writer say embarrasses him?

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

3. What does the unnamed writer say when a reader asks what his biggest losses from the worst years of the AIDS crisis were?

4. What does Francine specialize in?

5. What was Mina's birth name?

Short Essay Questions

1. In "Here Comes the Boat," why does Mina think the old woman is so mean to her adult son?

2. Who is Mina meeting from her family in Lesbos and why is this significant?

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

4. In what way does Mina remember her mother loving herself and her siblings?

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

6. In "You, the Nervous Wreck," what does Mina say is the influence of the writer's work on her decisions?

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

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

9. In "How to Become a Westerner," how does Rania Kassem find herself again?

10. Why does Francine not like Emma?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Why does Emma think Mina will be particularly helpful during the refugee crisis on Lesbos in the beginning of the novel? 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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