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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 drug is Danticat's father prescribed that he decides not to take?

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

3. Who is Joseph's son that has moved back and forth between the U.S. and Haiti?

4. What disease does Danticat's father Mira suffer from?

5. What treat does Danticat remember getting on the street with Joseph when she was a child?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. How does Joseph communicate and what does he communicate at Granme Melina's funeral since he can not give a sermon due to the loss of his voice?

4. What scary story does Granme Melina tell the children in Joseph's house in the section titled "Good-bye"?

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

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

7. Which politician does Uncle Joseph admire in the 1950s in Haiti and why?

8. Why does Joseph start to take the children in his house on simple errands with him following his laryngectomy?

9. What does Marie Micheline say to Uncle Joseph when he comes to rescue her from Pressoir?

10. In the section titled "Good-bye," what book does Danticat select to buy for herself while out with Joseph and why?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

At several points in the book, traditional Haitian food is brought out to provide comfort and security. Write an essay exploring the importance of traditional dishes, cooking, and Haitian food to Danticat and her family.

Essay Topic 2

What do you think the neighbors' behavior towards Joseph after his laryngectomy and tracheotomy procedures indicates about the relationships between the people in that area of Haiti, where Danticat lived until she was about 12? Write an essay explaining your answer, citing specific references to the text.

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.

(see the answer keys)

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