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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. Why did El Saadawi step on her accelerator?

2. How does El Saadawi feel about her life after leaving Firdaus?

3. What did Firdaus realize at the restaurant while she ate?

4. What job did Firdaus take with the industrial company?

5. What did Firdaus admit to the Arab man?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happened when Firdaus stopped speaking? How did El Saadawi react?

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

3. Who is Ibrahim?

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

5. What happened when Firdaus saw Ibrahim four years later?

6. What was Sharifa Salah el Dine's job and how did it involve Firdaus?

7. What were Firdaus' thoughts on men after Ibrahim's engagement?

8. What did the guards mean in Chapter 3 when they said "Your time has come"?

9. Why did Firdaus tear apart the Arab man's money?

10. Who is Di'aa, and how did he change Firdaus?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Firdaus meets many interesting people at boarding school. These people influence her life in many ways. Choose one person or a few that she meets that influence her life, and explain the positive and negative aspects of that influence.

Essay Topic 2

Define the term flashback. How does El Saadawi use flashbacks in her book? Provide two examples of flashbacks and how they help the reader relate to Firdaus.

Essay Topic 3

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?

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This section contains 636 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample