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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 Uncle Joseph take medication for?

2. What is the term the authorities use to describe gang members?

3. What disguise does Joseph wear to move between houses in Bel Air in October 2004?

4. Why does Danticat think Joseph asked for asylum rather than use the valid visa he had to travel to the United States?

5. How did Danticat discover that U.S. officials determined the ages of some of the immigrants seeking asylum?

Short Essay Questions

1. What story about Marie Micheline does Danticat tell her Uncle Joseph the night of Marie Micheline's funeral?

2. Who first warns Joseph he may be in danger in October 2004 in Haiti?

3. How does Danticat's brother Karl react to her when she first arrives in New York?

4. Why are some neighbors angry with Joseph in October 2004?

5. What does Danticat's brother Bob tell their other brothers Kelly and Karl on their first night in New York all together?

6. In the section titled "Gypsy," what is Danticat's new home in America like physically?

7. What folktale about hell does Danticat recall Granme Melina telling?

8. Why does Tante Zi tell Joseph he could not have escaped himself?

9. In the section "Brother, I Can Speak," how does Danticat's father refer to Danticat and Bob in front of Joseph when he comes to visit in New York?

10. Whose house does Joseph initially take refuge in when he is in hiding in Haiti in October 2004?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay analyzing some of the factors that Danticat explains went awry that led to her Uncle Joseph being detained by the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol in 2004. How does Danticat feel about the events of that time period in the United States that ultimately led to Joseph's death?

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay analyzing the links between new life and death in Danticat's personal life experiences with her father and her baby. Cite specific examples from the text to support your answer.

Essay Topic 3

Marie Micheline dies in the midst of a violent outbreak in her neighborhood, and there is shooting outside by neighborhood gangs at Tante Denise's funeral. Write an essay exploring how the backdrop of violence in Danticat's family's Bel Air neighborhood in Haiti affects their lives and their outlooks.

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This section contains 834 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample