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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. Where does Tante Denise send Marie Micheline?

2. What does Tante Zi do when Danticat tells her about her and Bob's illness?

3. What are Papa Doc's militia men called?

4. What does Joseph do at Melina's funeral?

5. How old is Danticat when she becomes pregnant for the first time?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. Why was Danticat's father concerned about her move in 2002?

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

5. How does Uncle Joseph first meet Tante Denise?

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

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

8. 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?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Why does Danticat's Uncle Joseph turn to religion? By the end of the book, does Joseph seem to have found the meaning he was searching for in his religious work? Write an essay explaining your answer.

Essay Topic 2

What were Joseph's and Mira's first experiences with and impressions of Americans, respectively? How do you think each man's impressions of Americans and of America changed over their lifetimes? Write an essay explaining your answer.

Essay Topic 3

Given the United States' long, violent, and often exploitative relationship with Haiti, what do you think is Danticat's opinion of the country she moved to as an adolescent? Given her family's experiences - especially Joseph's - in the United States, how would you describe her opinion of America? Write an essay explaining your answer.

(see the answer keys)

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