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

2. Where does the man who worked at the jewelry store say he and his family booked flights to get away from the police?

3. What does Sumaiya say she likes about Mina's appearance in Part III?

4. What kind of plant does Lubna encourage Mina to buy in Chicago?

5. Who comes to the house asking about the unique feature one day that the family treats with welcome?

Short Essay Questions

1. What particular topic does Mina remember Francine having written about in 2009?

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

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

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

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

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

7. What happened to Linda Abdullah's father at the end of his life?

8. How does Mina's and Mazen's blood pact work?

9. Why does Sammy tell the journalists they finally left Syria?

10. In Part III, how does Mina's mother react after the car accident in her childhood?

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

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 3

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.

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This section contains 681 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample