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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 does Sonya call Alfonso, playfully, In “While the Child Sleeps, Sonya Undresses"?

2. “In Soldiers Aim at Us,” what do the soldiers do to make the townspeople run away, so they can get Petya’s body?

3. How is Petya’s body treated by the soldiers?

4. In “We Lived Happily before the War,” it has been how many months since America has had a terrible leader?

5. In “Of Weddings before the War,” what does the speaker NOT mention?

Short Essay Questions

1. In “Checkpoints” what do the soldiers set up around town and why?

2. How does Alfonso react to his wife’s murder?

3. What is the topic of both “Of Weddings before the War” and “Still Newlyweds”?

4. In “The Townspeople Circle the Boy’s Body,” what do the townspeople do to protect Petya’s body?

5. In "Dramatis Personae," the speaker describes the characters that will be found in the poem. Who are two of the characters, and how are they described?

6. Why are puppets hung outside the homes of some of the townspeople?

7. What does the speaker say in “A Cigarette” about the townspeople?

8. In “Deafness, an Insurgency, Begins,” what does the speaker say about his country, the day after Petya is murdered?

9. What happens in “Arrival”?

10. In “A Dog Sniffs,” what happens to Sonya?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Anushka is born at just six pounds. What is the significance of this? Why is this mentioned in the poem? What other details are given throughout this book that are subtle, yet important and impactful? Why?

Essay Topic 2

For a box of oranges, Alfonso kills a soldier. How does he seem to feel about his actions? How does this compare to the reactions of the other townspeople? How do the reactions of the townspeople right after the killing compare to when Alfonso is tortured and killed? What does this reveal about the townspeople?

Essay Topic 3

Throughout the poem the characters display bravery and cowardice. What are two examples of each? What is the reason they act courageously sometimes and fearful at other times? How does this reflect humanity as a whole?

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