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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. Of what transgression does Leila accuse her brother Hakan in Chapter 22?

2. Which two methods of communication do Adam and Amal use to talk to one another over midterm break?

3. How old was Adam when his mother left the family for good?

4. Who is most impressed by Simone's prowess on a certain kind of court in Chapter 25?

5. Amal's midterm break during which she does her holiday homework consists of how many weeks in total?

Short Essay Questions

1. Discuss an instance when Hakan shows a disregard for his family's safety.

2. What method does Amal use to rebalance her friendship with Adam in Chapter 33?

3. What does the public bus driver do in Chapter 17 in an attempt to intimidate and harass Amal?

4. What excuses does Amal make in an attempt to deflect her mother Jamila's request that she deliver a birthday present to Mrs. Vaselli?

5. How does the elderly woman on the bus with Amal in Chapter 17 react to the bus driver's actions toward Amal?

6. Discuss an occasion when Amal uses a metaphor to affect Mrs. Vaselli in a particular way.

7. In what way does Simone demonstrate a sizable shift in her confidence level in Chapter 19?

8. How does the theme of hope surface within Chapter 17?

9. What kind of sports metaphor does Amal create for Adam to illustrate the effects of fajr?

10. What does Lara do to ameliorate the hurt she causes Amal by asking her to give a speech about Muslims and terrorism?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is the function of Hakan's character within the novel? Discuss the characterization methods used by Abdel-Fattah in depicting Hakan or Mrs. Vaselli and include in your discussion the reasons that Abdel-Fattah portrays one of these characters in the way that she does.

Essay Topic 2

Analyze the interplay between the resolution of Does My Head Look Big in This? and one of the novel's main messages. How does Abdel-Fattah make connections between these elements and how does their juxtaposition help them get across one main message of the novel?

Essay Topic 3

What ultimate message is Abdel-Fattah sending about the nature and value of compassion and how is Mrs. Vaselli's character used to provide nuance to the novel's messages about compassion?

(see the answer keys)

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