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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. From what country does Sabeen say she is from originally?

2. What does Ben say he plans to do when he is old enough to drive?

3. When Miss Garcia asks Deja what she wants for her future, what is Deja's reply?

4. What is NOT an element of Ben's physical appearance?

5. About what subject does Deja dread the teacher asking her to write an essay?

Short Essay Questions

1. What aspects of Sabeen's home project cause Deja to act out?

2. In what way does Rhodes reveal Deja's family's level of poverty within her first visit to the cafeteria?

3. What is the significance of Deja's name and how do you think it will relate to coming events in the narrative?

4. What is the significance of Deja's mother's comment that, "A good woman has a clean house. Everything should be in its proper place"? (41)

5. What effect does Miss Garcia's guidance have on Deja?

6. What does Sabeen's comment "Home is divine. Blessed by Allah" (50) demonstrate about her character?

7. How does Deja discover that Ben is not close to his father?

8. What is the purpose of the author's inclusion of the Mr. Schmidt character?

9. Describe what the reader learns about Deja's father, Pop, in the chapter entitled New School.

10. Explain the significance of Deja's initial reaction to the cultural map in the school hallway.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How do the themes of deception and secrecy function within the novel and what is the author's message regarding these themes?

Essay Topic 2

Write a critical essay about Jewell Parker Rhodes's novel Towers Falling while using the critical power theory lens of feminist theory. Use textual evidence to back up your strong, specific claim regarding the novel's treatment of gender roles, the objectification of women, female empowerment, misogyny's role within society, or any other issues related to feminist theory that can be found in the book.

Essay Topic 3

Sensory details are used frequently by the author in order to create vivid pictures of each character's progression through the narrative. Choose three scenes in which sensory details are heavily used and discuss how the sensory details used by the author set a particular mood for each of the three scenes.

(see the answer keys)

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