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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 July think of his own chief?

2. What is Bam doing when Maureen returns from speaking with July in Section 10?

3. What has the government told the chief will happen with the Cubans and Russians?

4. What is a gumbagumba?

5. What does the man accuse the children of in Section 6?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Section 9, what does Martha dream for the future, and how does this differ from July’s dreams?

2. Describe the gumba-gumba, and the resulting party atmosphere.

3. Describe what Bam’s feeding of the children shows, in terms of his role in the household, compared to his previous life?

4. Describe Maureen’s point about the smell of her family.

5. Explain how Bam now feels about his wife by Section 7.

6. Describe the shared moment of mockery between Martha and Maureen.

7. Why is Martha resentful toward Maureen when she asks where July has gone in Section 10?

8. What does Bam mean when he says July is “shrewdy”?

9. Explain how July sees his chief.

10. Describe the scene where Bam lays face first in the bed. What happened, and what does this signify?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compare and contrast the characters of Ellen and Martha. How are they similar and how are they different? What do they each mean, or represent, to July, and how does this show his convoluted situation? What does this say about July as a person? About Ellen? About Martha?

Essay Topic 2

The novel has a rather ambiguous ending, with Maureen running toward the helicopter, not knowing which side it represents. Explain, in detail, what this means for Maureen. Why is she running, without her family, without knowing what the end result will be? What does this say about her state of mind and her ability to continue coping outside of her comfort zone?

Essay Topic 3

In the story, Martha’s character dreams of keeping her husband near, while her husband dreams of returning to life in the city. What do you think explains these differences, and what do you think this means for the couple? What do you think July will do, regardless of the outcome of the riots? What will Martha do, and why?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 974 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample