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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. Which country became home to the largest number of Syrian refugees?

2. What does one woman decorate her pantry with who the writer speaks with?

3. Where does Mina recall meeting the writer unofficially some years earlier?

4. Who is the Palestinian who asks Mina to help him in Part I?

5. What is one of the first things volunteers give the refugees?

Short Essay Questions

1. What was the writer's first experience in drag?

2. Why does Francine not like Emma?

3. In what way does Mina remember her mother loving herself and her siblings?

4. What does Mina remember her mother spending a lot of extra money on when she was a child?

5. In "Here Comes the Boat," why does Mina think the old woman is so mean to her adult son?

6. In "You, the Nervous Wreck," what does Mina say is the influence of the writer's work on her decisions?

7. Whose betrayal hurt Mina more than that of her parents?

8. In "Here Comes the Boat," why is Mina so concerned about Sumaiya?

9. Why is Mina estranged from her parents and siblings except for Mazen?

10. Why do Mina and Asma have a special affinity?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What specific aspects of Mina's childhood does Alameddine reveal to the reader over the course of the novel that provide the reader with some insights and understanding into the struggles she faced as a result of her gender identity? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 2

What does Mina's affection for Pete Jones, and for his personal life story, decisions, and journey, tell the reader about the human search for meaning and purpose in an unforgiving and brutal landscape? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 3

How and why does Alameddine use humor most effectively in the novel? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 591 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample