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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Isabel's best friend Ivan is also her what?
(a) Her second cousin.
(b) Her uncle.
(c) Her business partner.
(d) Her neighbor.

2. What are piropos?
(a) Flirtatious compliments Cuban men say to women on the street.
(b) Coats.
(c) Beaches.
(d) Fried dough pockets filled with meat.

3. For what transgression do the Nazis say they are taking Josef's father into "protective custody" (3)?
(a) For practicing law as a Jewish man.
(b) For writing a newspaper article about the Nazis' violence.
(c) For practicing medicine as a Jewish man.
(d) For continuing to run his tailoring business as a Jewish man.

4. Schiendick enrages Josef's father by saying that German law states that what object must be covered with the Nazi flag?
(a) The door of the captain's quarters.
(b) A body buried at sea.
(c) The ship's stock of water.
(d) The coffin of a deceased crew member.

5. Who takes on the role of being "in charge of the boat" (81) on which Isabel and her family are traveling?
(a) Ivan.
(b) Lito.
(c) Luis.
(d) Señor Castillo.

6. When Josef overhears two stewards talking about racing other boats to Cuba, how many other boats do they say are traveling their route?
(a) 8.
(b) 5.
(c) 11.
(d) 2.

7. What shared characteristic had bonded the Soviet Union to Cuba prior to the collapse of the Soviet Union?
(a) Democracy.
(b) Egalitarianism.
(c) Socialism.
(d) Communism.

8. When Isabel pleads with Lito not to turn back for Cuba, what reason does she cite above all others?
(a) That her grandfather will be arrested.
(b) That her father will be arrested.
(c) That Ivan will be arrested.
(d) That they will all be arrested.

9. During Isabel's boat journey, her grandfather Lito tells her that she does have family in what part of the world?
(a) Atlanta.
(b) San Diego.
(c) Miami.
(d) Argentina.

10. What is the name of the ship Josef's family's boards?
(a) MS St. Louis.
(b) MS St. Croix.
(c) MS St. Cyprian.
(d) MS St. Lawrence.

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

12. Prior to the collapse of the Soviet Union, most farms in Cuba had been what type of farms?
(a) Rice.
(b) Sugarcane.
(c) Cattle.
(d) Alfalfa.

13. In response to Lito's claim that Isabel is giving up her Cuban identity by leaving, Isabel's mother tells him that "Miami is just" (102) what?
(a) North Cuba.
(b) North Latin America.
(c) An hour's journey away.
(d) South Canada.

14. What does Mahmoud buy for his brother Waleed in one of the shops at the refugee camp in Turkey?
(a) A stuffed zebra.
(b) A stuffed Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle.
(c) A stuffed teddy bear.
(d) A stuffed Teletubby.

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

Short Answer Questions

1. When a boy offers to show Mahmoud and his family somewhere they can sleep, how much money does he charge them for the information?

2. When regretting the family's decision to leave Cuba, Lito says that "The US has no" (101) what?

3. When the narrative rejoins Josef in 1939, each member of the family is now wearing what item?

4. What item does Josef buy when he sneaks into the dining car?

5. Where does Mahmoud's father keep the family's official papers and their money?

(see the answer keys)

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