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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 secretly pregnant in 1974?

2. Who does Danticat share a bunk bed with in Joseph's house?

3. What was Danticat's first experience of intense jealousy?

4. What is one of Joseph's first symptoms of illness in 1977?

5. What does Joseph name his church?

Short Essay Questions

1. In the section titled "Good-bye," how do the children determine that Granme Melina has died?

2. In the section titled "Have You Enjoyed Your Life?", what does the herbalist Danticat's father takes her to tell her about her health?

3. What does Danticat's mother give to her at the last possible minute at the airport to take with her on the plane?

4. Who is the father of Marie Micheline's first baby and what is that person's reaction when confronted with the fact of the pregnancy?

5. What does Danticat's brother Kelly recall when she tells him she is pregnant in the section titled "We're All Dying"?

6. Where had Danticat moved to from Brooklyn in 2002?

7. What two opposite pieces of news does Danticat receive on the same day in early July 2004?

8. What eventually happens with Marie Micheline's first husband, Pressoir?

9. Why does Danticat's father Mira decide not to take the codeine his doctor has prescribed for him?

10. What does Danticat remember most fondly about Marie Micheline's kindness towards her as a young child?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Go back to the section in the book in which Danticat recounts Tante Denise's story about the Angel of Death and Father God (143). Write an essay analyzing how the story relates to the Haitian peoples' history of oppression and brutality at the hands of countries like the United States, citing specific examples from the text in your answer.

Essay Topic 2

When Danticat's family learns of Mira's terminal health diagnosis, her brother, Bob, asks Mira if he has enjoyed his life. Write an essay explaining why both this question and Mira's answer represent an anomaly in the way Danticat's family usually communications, citing specific references to the text to support your answer.

Essay Topic 3

Danticat's father, Mira, experiences oppression both in Haiti and America. Write an essay comparing and contrasting the sources and manifestations of the oppression Mira experiences in both countries.

(see the answer keys)

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