View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is the first sentence Mina writes in her correspondence to Mazen to help repair their relationship in Part III?

2. What kind of medication does Mina frequently give to the patients in Part IV?

3. Where does Pete Jones eventually do some service work after he is discharged from the army?

4. How is Pete Jones injured in war?

5. What did Sumaiya ask Sammy to do if she did not live to cross with him and their daughters?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did Rasheed help two Iraqi gay men get settled in Europe?

2. How did Mazen first begin reestablishing contact with Mina after some years of estrangement?

3. What does Mina know happened to Lesbos and the refugee situation there after she left?

4. What personal story of loss does Mina share with Asma in Part IV?

5. What does Mina really think of the man who says he worked for a jewler?

6. What can Mina not help thinking about women from Deir-ez-Zor?

7. What does Rasheed say Mina should wear so the women in the refugee camp will trust her more?

8. In Part IV, what does Mina realize about the economic situations of the refugees she sees in the camps?

9. What does the scent of cardamom mean to Mina and the writer?

10. What happens in Cologne on New Year's Eve that impacts Europe's attitudes towards refugees?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Why is Mina's relationship with her brother Mazen so important to her, and to both of them? What specific details does Alameddine reveal to the reader about the siblings' relationship to help readers understand its centrality to Mina's character? Write an essay explaining your answers.

Essay Topic 2

Why do you think Alameddine chooses for Mina, the narrator, to address the unnamed writer as "you" throughout the novel? How does this choice affect the reader's ability to connect with both Mina's and the writer's perspectives? Write an essay explaining your answers.

Essay Topic 3

Alameddine explores a range of strong emotions at a fever pitch throughout the novel - fear, anger, frustration, sadness, and even joy. Write an essay analyzing Alameddine's tone at different points throughout the novel, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 740 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample