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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does Lalami say people from industrialized countries who immigrate are called in "Assimilation"?
(a) Refugees.
(b) Migrants.
(c) Immigrants.
(d) Expats.

2. What is one reason Lalami offers for why countries build border walls?
(a) To keep out those who might take jobs away from natives.
(b) To protect against military occupation.
(c) For aesthetics.
(d) To preserve native language.

3. In "Assimilation," what reason does Lalami cite for why enslaved peoples were not taught to read?
(a) They already knew how to read.
(b) There were no teachers available.
(c) It was believed that literacy would lead to rebellion.
(d) They showed no interest in learning to read.

4. What did Glenn Beck ask of Muslim-American politician Keith Ellison when he spoke about ending the war in Iraq?
(a) Glenn Beck asked Keith Ellison to give him three good reasons the U.S. did not belong in Iraq or Afghanistan.
(b) Glenn Beck asked Keith Ellison to explain how the war could be safely ended.
(c) Glenn Beck asked Keith Ellison to go back to his own country.
(d) Glenn Beck asked Keith Ellison to prove he was not working with the terrorists.

5. In "Faith," Lalami cites an article in Dabiq magazined entitled "The Extinction of the Gray Zone." What did this article praise?
(a) Lalami's novel, Moor's Account for its historical account of the enslavement of Muslims.
(b) The September 11 attacks for inspiring a new group of Islam militants.
(c) The Iraq War for attempting to bring democracy to Iraq.
(d) The Boston Marathon bombing for increasing security at large events.

6. Rather than trying to assimilate to indigenous tribes, what did Europeans and early American settlers do to the natives?
(a) They sent indigenous peoples to Europe.
(b) They took children from families and sent them to boarding schools to learn their religion and culture.
(c) They found ways to work with the natives and honor their differences.
(d) They stayed away from all indigenous peoples.

7. What changes does Lalami say began to take place at the borders after 2006 while more border fence was built?
(a) Border agents were laid off.
(b) Illegal crossings increased.
(c) Mexico-American relations became more strained.
(d) The border became more militarized.

8. What is one reason Lalami is taken aback when the woman in the audience at her reading of her novel asked about ISIS?
(a) She had been in the U.S. for 20 years and ISIS was a recently formed terrorist organization.
(b) She had already talked about ISIS at the reading.
(c) Her thoughts on ISIS are clearly laid out in her novel.
(d) Lalami began the discussion by saying she did not wish to discuss ISIS.

9. What country did ISIS founder Ahmed Fadhil al-Nazal al-Khalaylah go to Afghanistan to help fight against?
(a) Soviet Union.
(b) Morocco.
(c) China.
(d) The United States.

10. Who accompanied Lalami to her citizenship ceremony at the Pomona Fairplex in Los Angeles?
(a) Her sister.
(b) Her father.
(c) Her husband.
(d) Her mother.

11. According to Lalami in the chapter "Borders," how many Americans live in a border zone?
(a) 2 million.
(b) .5 million.
(c) 10 million.
(d) 200 million.

12. Lalami ends the chapter "Borders," saying that border walls have been monuments of what?
(a) Failure.
(b) Disgrace.
(c) Pride.
(d) Triumph.

13. In "Borders," what does Lalami say grew after Spain transitioned from a dictatorship to a democracy starting in 1975?
(a) Economic disparities between France and Spain.
(b) Economic disparities between Spain and Morocco.
(c) Language barriers between the Spanish and the Moroccans.
(d) Political tension between Spain and France.

14. What did talk show host Bill Maher say on his show that resulted in advertisers pulling their ads?
(a) All Muslims are terrorists.
(b) All Muslims were cowards.
(c) Muslims are not all terrorists.
(d) The terrorists were not cowards.

15. When a woman in the audience asks Lalami about her upbringing in Morocco, what topic did the conversation shift to?
(a) Moroccan cuisine.
(b) Moroccan feminist scholars.
(c) ISIS.
(d) Moroccan politics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why was there a border at the city of Melilla in Morocco which Lalami recalls from her childhood?

2. What does Lalami say was the sole purpose of the NYPD Demographics Unit?

3. In what year does Laila Lalami say she became a U.S. citizen in "Allegiance"?

4. What does Lalami suspect audience members would not ask a white writer about?

5. Why was Lalami's mother-in-law living with her at the time of the twin tower attacks?

(see the answer keys)

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