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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What animal does the boy hope will appear in the photograph he takes at the Baltimore aquarium?
(a) A turtle.
(b) A fish.
(c) An octopus.
(d) A starfish.

2. After Manuela asks the woman to translate a series of documents, she asks her to meet with whom?
(a) A lawyer.
(b) A coyote.
(c) A congresswoman.
(d) A doctor.

3. With whom does the woman share news of trouble in her marriage before the family leaves for the road trip?
(a) The boy and the girl.
(b) Her mother.
(c) No one.
(d) A couple of friends.

4. The woman's story about her parents traveling to India revolves around what object?
(a) A turntable.
(b) A candle.
(c) A CD player.
(d) A tape player.

5. The woman compares a documentarian to what other career position?
(a) A doctor.
(b) A librarian.
(c) A fortuneteller.
(d) A librarian.

Short Answer Questions

1. The woman reflects upon the fact that "it takes clarity of mind and humility of heart" to understand that children can read and understand what text?

2. When the family reaches a motel modeled after Elvis's persona, which member of the family has enthusiasm that proves to be contagious?

3. How many daughters does Manuela have?

4. What term does a customer at the Dixie Cafe use to refer to the family at the center of the narrative?

5. To what kind of establishment does the woman walk the night she ends up in a flirtatious encounter with a stranger?

Short Essay Questions

1. For what purpose does the family plan to travel to Lawton?

2. In what way does Luiselli use the traditional notion of the American Dream to comment on the reasons refugees from the Northern Triangle leave their homes?

3. What quality does the woman say is difficult to maintain within a marriage in a "real and sustained" (82) manner?

4. What warrior name does each member of the family take on and who begins the process?

5. While the woman does not keep a journal, she uses what other method that she believes serves the same purpose?

6. What do the boy and girl call child refugees and what is the woman's reaction to their choice?

7. While the man wants the road trip to end in Arizona, the woman wants to visit what state so that she can pursue her own next project?

8. Discuss one of the quotes Luiselli uses as an epigraph within Part I: Soundscapes and how its themes are reflected within the first few passages of the novel.

9. What object does the woman collect during the trip and keep inside her boot for the remainder of the trip and why?

10. What does the reader learn about La Bestia when the family listens to a radio interview with a child refugee?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,334 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample