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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. How does El Saadawi's contact get access for the author in the prison?

2. What instructions does Firdaus give El Saadawi at the start of Chapter 2?

3. How did Firdaus' mother mutilate her?

4. How did Firdaus hide her fears?

5. What games did Firdaus play with Mohammadain in in the field?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did Sharifa Salah el Dine help Firdaus after she escaped from Bayoumi?

2. What happened at Firdaus' graduation ceremony? Why did she freeze?

3. What was El Saadawi's initial meeting with Firdaus like?

4. Why does El Saadawi refuse to believe Firdaus died?

5. How did El Saadawi finally meet Firdaus?

6. What was Firdaus' family like?

7. What happens between Firdaus and her uncle on cold nights?

8. What was Firdaus's relationship with her uncle when she lived with her parents?

9. What is Firdaus' initial reaction to El Saadawi's interest in her story?

10. Why did Firdaus' uncle not want to send her to the university? What did his wife suggest?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Define the term flashback. How does El Saadawi use flashbacks in her book? Provide two examples of flashbacks and how they help the reader relate to Firdaus.

Essay Topic 2

What message does El Saadawi hope the reader walks away with after reading this book? Provide examples from the text that prove your argument.

Essay Topic 3

How does the setting effect the reader's experience of the story? Does it matter that the story is set in another country? Describe the setting of the story and explain how it is intertwined with the plot.

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This section contains 665 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample