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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 did Sharifa Salah el Dine tell Firdaus she must not have while working?

2. Who approached Firdaus in a luxury car while she walked down the street?

3. What did Firdaus begin to do with her money around age 25?

4. What did Di'aa say about Firdaus' profession?

5. What did the Arab man believe Firdaus' real identity was?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why did El Saadawi feel ashamed after hearing Firdaus' story?

2. Who is Ibrahim?

3. What does the quote "I am speaking the truth. And truth is savage and dangerous" mean?

4. How was Firdaus' relationship with Ibrahim similar to her relationship with Miss Iqbal?

5. Who did Ibrahim become engaged to and what was Firdaus' reaction?

6. How did Firdaus' life change at the age of 25?

7. How did Firdaus' relationship change with Sharifa Salah el Dine from her first few days at her home and later as time progressed?

8. What did Firdaus believe being a prostitute proved to people?

9. What happened to Firdaus when she went to the restaurant?

10. Who is Marzouk and what did Firdaus do to him?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compare and contrast the relationship Firdaus had with both Ibrahim and her teacher from boarding school. Why was she unable to express her feelings for these two people in words?

Essay Topic 2

How does description play a role in an author's work? How does the author use description to draw the reader into the story? What are some examples where the description does not work?

Essay Topic 3

Describe one central conflict in El-Saadawi book. How does this conflict effect the actions of Firdaus?

(see the answer keys)

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