Questions for Close Reading

1. What is the selection's thesis (or dominant impression)? Locate the sentence(s) in which Riverbend states her main idea. If she doesn't state her thesis explicitly, express it in your own words.

2. At the start of the reading, the author compares Damascus, the capital of Syria, with her native Baghdad. How do the cities seem the same? How do they seem different? Why do you think the author is "distracted" by the mountain Qasiyoun?

3. The author uses two numerical examples. What are they? What are the sources for these examples? How do the examples contribute to the dominant impression of the reading?

4. For much of the selection, the author describes the scene as she and her family cross the border into Iraq and then immediately cross back into Syria. Why have they decided to take these actions? What realization does the author have as a result?

Questions About the Author's Craft

1. The Pattern. How does the author use description in the selection? What phrases convey the physical discomfort of the border-crossing experience? Why does the author spend so much of the selection describing the experience?

2. At times, the selection expresses an ironic or humorously sardonic tone. Which specific sentences does the author use to achieve this tone? What is the effect of the selection's tone for the reader?

3. Other Patterns. The author compares Damascus to Baghdad at the start of the reading and then narrates the story of the border crossing? In addition, the author gives at least four anecdotes from the border crossing and afterward. What these anecdotes and what do they illustrate for the reader?

4. What is the significance of the selection's title, "Blogging without Borders...? Is the title effective?