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

2. In "Faith," Lalami cites an article in Dabiq magazined entitled "The Extinction of the Gray Zone." What did this article praise?

3. According to Lalami in the chapter "Borders," how many Americans live in a border zone?

4. Lalami suggests that a common American perception that Arabs and Muslims are inferior comes from what source?

5. In "Borders," what example does Lalami cite of the increasingly divisive rhetoric coming from the Trump administration in regards to border walls?

Short Essay Questions

1. In "Faith," what background does Lalami provided about her mother's early life and adolescence?

2. Describe the difference Lalami notes between how she was treated at work in 2000 after she became a citizen and how she was treated a year later after the September 11 attacks.

3. Describe Trump's "deceitful move" in banning Muslims according to Lalami in "Allegiance."

4. In "Faith," what does Lalami say about Muslim history in America? When did Muslim's first arrive? Why? How were they treated?

5. In what ways did Lalami's grandmother live a traditional Muslim life?

6. Under what administration was Operation Hold the Line implemented? How successful was it?

7. What is the history of Chinese immigration to American that Lalami notes in "Assimilation" between 1875 and 1924?

8. In what ways does Lalami say she lives in the gray zone at the end of "Faith"?

9. What are some things Lalami had to do in order to become a U.S. citizen?

10. What does Lalami note at the end of "Allegiance" about the prior use of the Pomona Fairplex, where she received her citizenship?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay analyzing Lalami's stance on what it is like to be a Muslim in America. What experiences does she share about her life in America? Are they mostly good or mostly bad? When does she note a marked change in how people react to Muslims? What kinds of requirements are placed on Muslims particularly after a terrorist attack?

Essay Topic 2

What do border walls signify in Conditional Citizens? What specific border walls are discussed in the book? How do these walls impact the narrative and develop themes of citizenship and inequality?

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay about the author of Conditional Citizens. Who is she? What else has she written? How is Conditional Citizens similar or different from her previous works?

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