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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. Who was obsessed with spies growing up?

2. Who in the family passes away in 1987?

3. Who does Pop tell his daughter to spend time with?

4. Where does the narrator drop off the kids in the first chapter?

5. Who does Marie want to take care of the boys?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Marie like as a child?

2. What does Thomas say about books?

3. Why was the early 1960s such a scary time for Marie?

4. What news does Helene give Marie at Tompkins Square Park?

5. Who is Chris?

6. Where do Marie's sons stay for a night in Connecticut?

7. Where does Marie take the boys in the first chapter?

8. What happens one summer at day camp?

9. Who wants to be a spy when they are a child?

10. What happens when Marie takes Agathe to the airport?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay describing the author’s narrative tone and writing style. Use examples from the text as evidence for your argument.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay about how Marie's relationship with her mother changes throughout the novel. What event(s) stimulate the change(s)?

Essay Topic 3

Throughout her mission in Africa, Marie is made very aware of her status as an American, despite feeling that in the U.S., she feels black before she feels American. Write an essay in which you compare and contrast Marie's notions of her American status while she is in Africa and the U.S.

(see the answer keys)

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