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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 Esther buy Alhaji when they took Ishmael to the hospital for an examination?

2. What was Esther wearing when she and two men came to take Ishmael to the hospital for his examination?

3. In Chapter 13, which boy fell backward because he had taken too much ammunition?

4. In Chapter 14, how was the rebel who shot one of the boys killed?

5. What time was the food ready for Ishmael's name-giving ceremony?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did Josiah die?

2. In Chapter 10, what was one of the most unsettling things about Ishmael's journey?

3. How did Ishmael describe a place he called a very peculiar village?

4. Who did Ishmael meet as they approached the village where his family might have been staying?

5. What would the boys and soldiers do in Chapter 14 if they ran out of food, drugs, ammunition, and gasoline?

6. What was the extent of Ishmael's thoughts at the beginning of Chapter 15?

7. Why weren't Ishmael and the other boys killed when the village was attacked where his family was staying?

8. When Esther and Leslie took Ishmael and Alhaji to the city for Ishmael's examination, what presents were bought for the boys?

9. What was the purpose of Ishmael's unit when he was a junior lieutenant?

10. What did Ishmael find infuriating at the beginning of Chapter 16?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The boys began stealing food. Why did the boys steal food, and how did they justify doing so?

Essay Topic 2

Ishmael was tormented by memories of war. Why was Ishmael tormented by the memories, and how did he finally deal with them?

Essay Topic 3

At first Ishmael was silent about his past. What changed Ishmael's mind about telling his story?

(see the answer keys)

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