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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. Who, in addition to Ayaan's mother, beat her severely in Chapter 5, "Secret Rendezvous, Sex, and the Scent of Sukumawiki"?

2. What is a nonprofit organization for the defense of Muslim women's rights?

3. In Chapter 6, "Doubt and Defiance," Mahad goes back where and the three women move into a house with a distant relative?

4. What is the term referring to the pilgrimage to Mecca that is obligatory upon all able Muslims?

5. Where did Ayaan's father return in the beginning of Chapter 9, "Abeh"?

Short Essay Questions

1. To whom does the author dedicate the book in the Introduction?

2. What did the author learn from looking back at her childhood in Chapter 4, "Weeping Orphans and Widowed Wives"?

3. Where did Ayaan live in Chapter 4, "Weeping Orphans and Widowed Wives"? How is this setting described?

4. How is Ayaan's father described in Chapter 1, "Bloodlines"? When did he marry Ayaan's mother?

5. How was the author's relationship to her mother described in Chapter 6, "Doubt and Defiance"?

6. Who did Ayaan's father plan for Ayaan to marry in Chapter 9, "Abeh"? How did she feel about the arrangement?

7. Who wrote a letter to Ayaan in Chapter 8, "Refugees"? What did Ayaan respond?

8. Where did Ayaan's family move after leaving Saudi Arabia in Chapter 3, "Playing Tag in Allah's Palace"?

9. Who is the protagonist of "Infidel"? How is the narrative style established in the Introduction?

10. How was the living situation described when the war broke out in Chapter 8, "Refugees"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss Ayaan's decision to seek refugee status in Chapter 10, "Running Away." Why did she initially hope to move to England? Who changed her mind and why? Also discuss Ayaan's impressions of Germany. How did she compare it to Somalia?

Essay Topic 2

Describe and discuss Ayaan's journey to Germany and her plans to move to Canada. How difficult was obtaining a Canadian visa? How did Ayaan hope to attain a divorce at this time? How did Ayaan's mother and sister feel about her plans?

Essay Topic 3

Describe and discuss the settings of Mecca and Ethiopia. How does the author describe the political atmosphere of these settings during the late 1970s? Also discuss Ayaan's relationship with the Islamic faith during her childhood. What questions and doubts did Ayaan face?

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