View a FREE sample

This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In what year does the telling of Josef's narrative begin?
(a) 1938.
(b) 1962.
(c) 1946.
(d) 1929.

2. What is the age difference between Isabel and Ivan?
(a) Ivan is one year older than Isabel.
(b) Ivan is two years older than Isabel.
(c) Isabel is two years older than Ivan.
(d) Isabel is one year older than Ivan.

3. Before leaving Mahmoud and his family so they can get some sleep, what item does the boy tell them they must procure before the next leg of their trip?
(a) A propane stove.
(b) Batteries.
(c) Flashlights.
(d) Life jackets.

4. What does Isabel give the fisherman in return for gasoline to power Ivan's family's boat?
(a) A coat.
(b) A trumpet.
(c) A backpack.
(d) Mofongo.

5. Isabel's grandfather Lito makes her angry on the boat by telling her that her father is a what?
(a) A thief.
(b) A deadbeat.
(c) A fool.
(d) A liar.

6. When Señor Castillo asks Isabel's father what he wants to do when he gets to America, what is Isabel's father's reply?
(a) He says he wants to make a million dollars.
(b) He says he wants to help other refugees.
(c) He says he wants to be free.
(d) He says he wants to start over.

7. What is Josef's father's profession at the start of the novel?
(a) Lawyer.
(b) Reporter.
(c) Tailor.
(d) Doctor.

8. What item does Josef buy when he sneaks into the dining car?
(a) A sandwich.
(b) A cup of coffee.
(c) A newspaper.
(d) A cup of hot chocolate.

9. To what type of structure does the boy lead Mahmoud and his family?
(a) To an abandoned shopping mall.
(b) To a library.
(c) To a bus depot.
(d) To an abandoned hospital.

10. When Josef's ship slows down, causing his father to think that the ship is being turned around, what is the true cause of the change in speed?
(a) An approaching tanker.
(b) A man who has been reported missing.
(c) An approaching storm.
(d) A funeral at sea.

11. What type of Jewish ceremony do the people on Josef's ship hold during the journey?
(a) A bat mitzvah.
(b) A naming ceremony.
(c) A bris.
(d) A bar mitzvah.

12. What item does Josef's little sister Ruthie carry with her at all times?
(a) Her stuffed turtle.
(b) Her blanket.
(c) Her stuffed rabbit.
(d) Her teddy bear.

13. On what condition is Josef's father released?
(a) That he provide information about one of his neighbors.
(b) That he remain in Berlin until further notice.
(c) That he pay the Nazis a series of bribes.
(d) That his whole family leave Germany at once.

14. Isabel knows that Ivan and his father are actually building a boat in order to travel where?
(a) To Canada.
(b) To the United States.
(c) To the Dominican Republic.
(d) To Mexico.

15. The third major character focused upon within the novel's narrative is Mahmoud, a boy living in Syria. What year is it when the reader first joins Mahmoud?
(a) 2015.
(b) 2001.
(c) 1994.
(d) 1981.

Short Answer Questions

1. When Isabel pleads with Lito not to turn back for Cuba, what reason does she cite above all others?

2. When Isabel's narrative opens, she is trying to coax a kitten out from hiding using what type of food?

3. What are piropos?

4. To what concentration camp is Josef's father sent whee he is taken into "protective custody" (3)?

5. What is NOT a way in which Josef's father has changed since being imprisoned in a concentration camp?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 583 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample