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. When Mawi's brother was about to be attacked by a bully with a switchblade in "Playground Warfare," a van appeared carrying how many large black men?

2. Mawi's father took in a homeless man and helped him. What did the man give him in return when he departed in "God's Angels"?

3. Eventually, Mawi started making friends through what game in "Playground Warfare"?

4. Mawi's father told his children that they should always treat _________________well because they could turn out to be angels.

5. What country borders Eritrea to the southeast?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What stories does the author say his brother told him in "Playground Warfare"? What did he later realize about these stories?

3. With whom did Mawi travel across the desert in "Memories"? Where were they going? How old was Mawi?

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

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

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

7. 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?

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

9. Where did Mawi's family stay upon their arrival in the U.S. in "A New Life"? Who met and helped them at the airport?

10. What incident does Mawi describe of being bullied terribly in "Playground Warfare"? Who saved him?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe and discuss the impact of Tewolde's death on the narrator. How was Tewolde killed? What foreshadowing refers to this incident early in the narrative? How does Mawi describe the aftermath of the accident? How was Tewolde remembered at his funeral?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss Mawi's mischief with his brother in "Days of Mischief." Do these stories make the protagonist less likeable? Why or why not? How do you relate to Mawi's adventures with his brother during his youth? In what ways did Tewolde influence his brother?

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?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,015 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample