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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. How old does Patel say he is in Chapter 8?

2. Who is described in Chapter 8 as "an actor-handsome, ultra-preppily dressed black guy" (107)?

3. What was the duration of Pong's father's sentence to hard labor?

4. Where was Pong's childhood babysitter from?

5. Where did Tiller tell Val he was from when they first met?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did Pong describe Drum Kappagoda to Tiller in Chapter 4?

2. What happened at the playground in Chapter 6?

3. How are Pong's parents described?

4. What did Tiller do once he landed in Honolulu in Chapter 11?

5. What is the significance of the scene at the quarry in Chapter 5?

6. What was Pong's foster home like? Where was it located?

7. What is an example of foreshadowing or red herrings in Chapter 7?

8. Why was Pong's father detained by the Red Guards?

9. How is the motif of food and ingestion highlighted in Chapter 8?

10. Where and how did Tiller and Val meet?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the themes of capitalism and worker exploitation in My Year Abroad. How are these themes developed through the character of Chilies? What Marxist ideals does Chilies promote? How do his actions go against those ideals?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the role of irony in My Year Abroad. What are three examples of when irony appears in the novel, and how is the author using it?

Essay Topic 3

Identify, analyze, and discuss the narrative style of My Year Abroad. From what perspective is the story related? Is it related in the past or present tense--or both? Is the narrator a reliable source of information? Why is it important that the narrative is related as it is?

(see the answer keys)

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