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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. What does Mina remember calling her mother at the height of her rage in Part II?

2. Who does Emma see the writer talking to, as she tells it to Mina in Part I?

3. What does Mina's GPS sound like?

4. Why did both Mina and the writer leave home at first?

5. What was Mina's birth name?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. What does the writer write about in "How to Make Liberace Jealous"?

4. Why has Emma asked Mina to come help on Lesbos?

5. Who was the only person Mina ever talked about her family with and why?

6. What is one of Emma's most defining characteristics, according to Mina?

7. In "I Missed You By This Much," what does Mina say about the writer?

8. In "How to Become a Westerner," how does Rania Kassem find herself again?

9. Why does Francine not like Emma?

10. What does "GoFundMeJeff" do that becomes a symbol for being a scoundrel?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

What does Alameddine's book title refer to, and why do you think he chose this title for this novel? Write an essay explaining your answers.

Essay Topic 3

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.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 616 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample