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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. When they were still in elementary school, Mawi's brother told him stories about five brothers from where?

2. Where did Mawi's mother come from?

3. To make ends meet, Mawi's family found ____________ in "A New Life."

4. Before a family could immigrate to the United States, they needed to do what in "Coming to America"?

5. Eritrea became an independent nation in what year?

Short Essay Questions

1. What did Mawi's father teach his children about strangers in "God's Angels"?

2. What did Mawi's family learn about American culture through television in "A New Life"? What else did they do for entertainment?

3. What memories does the author describe of his childhood home in "Memories"? What does he question about the memories?

4. Where did Mawi's family live as refugees in "The Camp"? Where did his father work?

5. What woman helped Mawi's family find a sponsor in "A New Life"? How did the family adjust to the culture shock of the new country?

6. How does the author explain the meaning of his name in the Author's Note? Whose story does he assert Of Beetles and Angels tells in this preface?

7. How does Mawi describe his interactions with bullies in "The Camp"? Who came to his aid when he was attacked?

8. What deferred Mawi's family from leaving for America in 1982 in "Coming to America"?

9. How did the children in Mawi's new home perceive his family, as described in "Playground Warfare"? How did they treat them?

10. How does the author describe the Sudanese rebels in "The Camp"? Where did the author's father want to go in order to find security?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the history, geography and cultures of Eritrea and Ethiopia. When did civil war break out between these nations? What were conditions of the war like? When did the political upheavals during the 1980s and 1990s originate? What led to the civil war?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss Haileab's transformation in the U.S. Why was Haileab no longer qualified to work in medicine? What led to his unemployment? What health problems did Haileab develop? Also discuss the symbolism of beetles in the narrative. How does the beetle symbolize Haileab in "The Unmaking of a Man"?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the theme of sacrifice in the narrative, and examine the reasons for Haileab's sacrifice in leaving his homeland. What dangers did his family face in staying where they were? Why did Haileab leave behind his wealth and everything he owned? How many others faced the same perils in order to escape?

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