View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What did Mr. Kappagoda ask Pong and Tiller if they had experienced in Chapter 13?

2. What is Tiller's Chinese Zodiac sign?

3. What is the name of the man that Tiller refers to as "Spideyface" (201) in Chapter 13?

4. By what name did Prada go when she lived in the United States as a child?

5. What was minimum wage when Pong started working at a restaurant peeling vegetables in his youth?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who is Chilies and how is he described?

2. What uncomfortable encounter does Tiller describe involving Lucky's mother in Chapter 12?

3. What is robata? How is it described?

4. What did Drum reveal about his plans with Pong in Chapter 21?

5. What is significant about the candies that Chilies gave Tiller in Chapter 17?

6. How is Drum Kappagoda's estate described in Chapter 17?

7. How is Tiller's performance at the karaoke club described in Chapter 14?

8. How old was Tiller when his mother left? How does he describe her leaving?

9. What kind of yoga event was taking place at the Kappagoda estate when Tiller visited?

10. How would you characterize Tiller's relationship with his father?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the theme of reconciling the past and the present in My Year Abroad. How does the nonlinear structure of the novel lend itself to this theme? How does Tiller develop as a character as he begins to reconcile his past? Where does he stand at the novel's ending in this regard?

Essay Topic 2

Describe and analyze the character of Constance Kappagoda in My Year Abroad. What actions does Constance commit in the course of the novel? What motivations propel those actions? Do you consider Constance to be an ally to the protagonist or an antagonist? Why?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the themes of hedonism and sexuality in My Year Abroad. How do these themes arise? What experiences does Tiller encounter with hedonism and sexuality? How do these experiences change him?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 805 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample