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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. The author describes a visit from two people from their country who brought the family ______________.

2. Who met Mawi's family at the airport upon their arrival in the United States in "A New Life"?

3. What was the name of Mawi's younger sister?

4. What was the name of the author's older brother?

5. What was the name of the bully who decided to go after Mawi's brother?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does the author describe his origins in the Author's Note? What is the political history of this region?

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

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

4. Who led the author's family across the desert in "Memories"? How is she described?

5. What did the strangers from Mawi's homeland bring to his family in "A New Life"? How did they help his mother?

6. How does Mawi describe his memories of his family as refugees in "The Camp"?

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

8. Who helped Mawi's family in "Coming to America"? What does this organization do?

9. How does the author describe the educational system and his interaction with other children in "The Camp"?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Identify and discuss the theme of generosity in the narrative. How did Haileab demonstrate generosity toward others? How did his actions influence those of his children? How does Tewolde symbolize generosity in the book? What influence did he have on the author?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the correlations between American and East African culture and holidays and Mawi's first impressions of Halloween. What Sudanese holiday does the author describe in "Days of Mischief"? What about Halloween attracted him and his siblings?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the figure of Beth in the narrative. What were Mawi's impressions of Beth? How did she help the family adjust to the culture shock of America? In what way does Beth represent an "angel" thematically in the book?

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This section contains 892 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample