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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What is the reason that Mahmoud's family's boat begins to fill with water on their journey to the island?
(a) It begins to rain.
(b) The boat develops a hole from an unknown cause.
(c) The boat's tar patch begins to fail.
(d) The boat is struck by another boat.

2. When Mahmoud and his family reach the border of Hungary, what are the Hungarian soldiers doing?
(a) Building a fence.
(b) Loading their weapons.
(c) Putting on riot gear.
(d) Sewing red armbands.

3. When Mahmoud and his family wait at the border between Greece and Macedonia, what is NOT one way Mahmoud feels?
(a) Invisible.
(b) Unwanted.
(c) Illegal.
(d) Dirty.

4. What does Captain Schroeder say had happened when he sought to meet with President Bru?
(a) He says the president would not meet with him.
(b) He says that the president had been unsympathetic to the refugees' plights.
(c) He says that the president had been assassinated two days before his visit.
(d) He says that the president is sympathetic but his hands are tied.

5. After Amara and Isabel's action that reduces the drag on the boat, who tells them that they have doomed every passenger on the boat?
(a) Señora Castillo.
(b) Luis.
(c) Lito.
(d) Señor Castillo.

6. When the head of the ship's committee tells the passengers that the ship will be heading back to Europe, what are the two phrases chanted by the passengers?
(a) "Set us free or pay the price" and "Freedom now."
(b) "We won't give up" and "We will not die."
(c) "Set us free" and "Do the right thing."
(d) "We will not die" and "We will not return."

7. What is eventually the only part of Isabel's family's boat that remains unsplintered?
(a) The engine housing.
(b) The lining depicting Fidel Castro.
(c) The benches.
(d) The prow.

8. What does Isabel do just before Ivan's body is buried at sea?
(a) Nothing, since she is too overcome with grief.
(b) She gives Ivan a hug.
(c) She touches Ivan's chest.
(d) She kisses Ivan's forehead.

9. To whom does Mahmoud give the deceased man's life jacket?
(a) His best friend.
(b) His father.
(c) His sister.
(d) His mother.

10. What does Officer Padron do when the passengers of Josef's ship rush the ship ladder?
(a) He explains the reasons behind his actions.
(b) He threatens to take the ship back to Germany.
(c) He draws his pistol.
(d) He calls for help.

11. How many refugees are expected to board the inflatable rubber dinghy used by the smugglers hired by Mahmoud's father?
(a) 12.
(b) 60.
(c) 90.
(d) 30.

12. In what sea are Mahmoud and his family stranded after their dinghy bursts against the rocks?
(a) The Dead Sea.
(b) The Baltic.
(c) The Mediterranean.
(d) The Atlantic.

13. What words does Josef's father scream throughout his rescue from the ocean?
(a) "Get away!"
(b) "Let me die!"
(c) "Please help me!"
(d) "Vengeance will be mine!"

14. What kind of engine is powering Isabel's boat?
(a) A lawnmower engine.
(b) A truck engine.
(c) A motorcycle engine.
(d) A car engine.

15. When Josef's ship's engines roar to life for the first time since arriving in a Cuban harbor, where do the passengers believe the ship will be going next?
(a) Cypress.
(b) Poland.
(c) Germany.
(d) Lesbos.

Short Answer Questions

1. What type of humor is Mahmoud's father Youssef's trademark?

2. Of the refugees boarding the dinghy with Mahmoud's family, what does the narrator say is the kind of person constituting the majority of the passengers?

3. Who suggests that two of the boat's passengers get into the water and hang onto the boat in order to reduce the risk of capsizing?

4. When Isabel and her family finally reach land and believe they have reached Florida, where have they landed instead?

5. When it gets too dark to navigate, what strategy does Isabel advocate for?

(see the answer keys)

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