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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. According to Nafisi, how is Yassi like Lolita?

2. What does Nafisi describe as the crux of the problem in "Lolita"?

3. What would happen if the "Blood of God" militia saw a girl with nail polish or a strand of loose hair?

4. What is the main reason for Nafisi's resignation from the University of Tehran?

5. Where is Nafisi's apartment located?

Short Essay Questions

1. According to Nafisi, what is life like for a "normal Iranian citizen"?

2. In Chapter 2, why does Nafisi describe the first meeting of the study group in present tense instead of past tense?

3. What is the relationship between the imaginary rain shower and the meeting of Nafisi's class?

4. How do the university officials react to Nafisi before and after her resignation?

5. Why do Nafisi and her students feel so strongly about Nabokov and his works?

6. How is Professor X's method of teaching literature different than Nafisi's method of teaching literature?

7. According to Vera Nabokov, what is the beauty in "Lolita" and why is it missed by critics?

8. What is the role of literature in Part 1, Chapter 20?

9. Why is it difficult to find a copy of "Lolita" in Tehran?

10. What is the significance of the green gate Nafisi mentions in Chapter 9?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

America is presented as both reality and symbol, as a concept and a country. Describe the various ways America is interpreted and understood by those in Nafisi's classes and the Iranian government. How do those interpretations compare to Nafisi's personal memories and descriptions of America? What elements of America are emphasized? What elements of America are omitted? Why are there omissions?

Essay Topic 2

"Reading Lolita in Tehran" centers around literature, a written form of art. Choose another art form (dance, music, visual art) and discuss the use of that art form in all four sections of the book. What is the role or roles of art in the Iranian Islamic Republic? What role or roles does art play in the fictional works Nafisi teaches? What role or roles does art play in the life of Nafisi? In the lives of her students?

Essay Topic 3

Nafisi addresses disappearance and absence as a major theme in the book. Write an essay that examines the issues of disappearance and absence in the novels Nafisi teaches, in the lives of her students, and in Nafisi's own life, both personally and professionally.

(see the answer keys)

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