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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. 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" and "Do the right thing."
(b) "Set us free or pay the price" and "Freedom now."
(c) "We won't give up" and "We will not die."
(d) "We will not die" and "We will not return."

2. After whom is Josef named?
(a) His uncle.
(b) His grandfather.
(c) His father.
(d) His godfather.

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

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

5. What action does Waleed take throughout the entire robbery by the taxi driver, causing Mahmoud to worry about his emotional well-being?
(a) He sucks his thumb.
(b) He rocks.
(c) He sleeps.
(d) He sobs.

6. When Isabel thinks of her family's journey as a song, she thinks that what events would constitute the first verse?
(a) The trip from Cuba to the Dominican Republic.
(b) The riots and the bartering for gasoline.
(c) The tanker and the storm.
(d) The trip from the Bahamas to Florida.

7. Just before Mahmoud tumbles from the boat into the sea, someone at the front of the dinghy yells that he sees what objects?
(a) Rescue boats.
(b) Lighthouses.
(c) Rocks.
(d) Lightning strikes.

8. When Josef's father disappears from the family's cabin in Josef's absence, where does he turn out to have gone?
(a) He has gone to the captain's quarters.
(b) He has gone to confront Schiendick.
(c) He has gone to the ship cafeteria.
(d) He has jumped into the ocean.

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

10. When Isabel first sees the lights of Miami, what does she think she is seeing instead?
(a) Stars.
(b) A planet.
(c) Dawn.
(d) Lightning.

11. What island is the intended destination when Mahmoud and his family set out on the rubber dinghy?
(a) Sicily.
(b) Athens.
(c) Lesbos.
(d) Cypress.

12. Who sews Ruthie's stuffed bunny back together before she can see it headless?
(a) Josef's mother.
(b) Otto Scheindick.
(c) Captain Schroeder.
(d) Josef.

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

14. 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?
(a) Mami.
(b) Papi.
(c) Isabel.
(d) Lito.

15. What is NOT listed among the items provided by the tourists who help Isabel and the other passengers?
(a) Aspirin.
(b) Bottles of water.
(c) Life jackets.
(d) Bags of chips.

Short Answer Questions

1. What major revelation does Isabel's mother make while the boat's passengers are waiting to see the lights of Miami?

2. When Mahmoud and his family finally reach Greece, no one is celebrating and Mahmoud says he knows why. What reason does Mahmoud give for the refugees' lack of celebration?

3. Who appears next to Josef's ship and manages to convince authorities to release his two daughters from the ship?

4. How long does it take Josef's ship to sail from Havana to within viewing distance of Miami?

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

(see the answer keys)

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