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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 decides to go into Bel Air and help get Joseph to safety in the fall of 2004?

2. What does the head of the neighborhood gang threaten to do to Joseph if he can not come up with the money they are asking for?

3. What is the name of Danticat's father's cab?

4. Who is Tante Zi mourning when she wears white?

5. What complication does Danticat find out she has in her pregnancy?

Short Essay Questions

1. What factor about Danticat's pregnancy causes her some anxiety?

2. When Joseph visits New York in 1983, what life-changing device does he receive from the hospital?

3. What do some of the neighborhood gang members demand of Joseph in October 2004?

4. How does Joseph eventually convince Maxo to leave the house under cover of darkness in October 2004?

5. Who first warns Joseph he may be in danger in October 2004 in Haiti?

6. What story about Marie Micheline does Danticat tell her Uncle Joseph the night of Marie Micheline's funeral?

7. In the section "Brother, I Can Speak," how does Danticat's father refer to Danticat and Bob in front of Joseph when he comes to visit in New York?

8. What folktale about hell does Danticat recall Granme Melina telling?

9. What happens to Joseph in Haiti in October 2004?

10. Why are some neighbors angry with Joseph in October 2004?

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

Danticat explores the subject of death from several different angles and through the experiences of several different family members in this book. Write an essay analyzing her perception of Granme Melina's attitudes towards death, especially considering Granme Melina's many folktales and legends she told the children that dealt with that topic.

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.

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