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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. Where does the stranger in the chapter "How to Rob an Armenian Jewelry Store" say he is originally from?

2. Who is one of the first refugees the unnamed writer interviews in Beirut in Part IV?

3. What word do the journalists use to describe Sammy that upsets Mazen?

4. What is Morty's full name?

5. What does Mazen say about Mina's driving skills in Part III?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

5. Who is Sumaiya most worried about in her family for after she dies?

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

7. Why does Mina want to buy a Jaguar in her midlife?

8. Why does Mazen get so mad at the western journalists' questioning of Sammy and Samaiya?

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

10. What affliction does one woman tell Mina she has in Part IV that Mina can find no physical cause for?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does Mina's alienation from her own family, except for her brother Mazen, affect her interactions and her ability to connect with the refugees she encounters on Lesbos? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 2

What do you think Alameddine is trying to communicate to the reader with the unnamed writer's panic in hiding in his hotel room for much of his time on Lesbos? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 3

What does Alameddine's book title refer to, and why do you think he chose this title for this novel? Write an essay explaining your answers.

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This section contains 700 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample