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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. After Mahmoud's family leaves their car behind, how many hours does Google Maps say their walk to Turkey will be?
(a) 8 hours.
(b) 12 hours.
(c) 16 hours.
(d) 2 hours.

2. Contrary to the truth, what does Ivan tell Isabel that he and his father are building in their garage?
(a) A ping pong table.
(b) A doghouse.
(c) A birdhouse.
(d) A skateboard ramp.

3. Risking his life by running through gunfire back to the car, Mahmoud's father retrieves what object from the car?
(a) A flashlight.
(b) A stuffed rabbit.
(c) A cell phone.
(d) A gun.

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

5. When Mahmoud and his family meet the smuggler at the designated meeting point, when does he say the boat will leave?
(a) Right now.
(b) Tomorrow.
(c) Next week.
(d) In an hour.

Short Answer Questions

1. For what transgression do the Nazis say they are taking Josef's father into "protective custody" (3)?

2. What is NOT among Fidel Castro's oft-repeated list of the three greatest achievements of the Cuban Revolution?

3. Isabel knows that Ivan and his father are actually building a boat in order to travel where?

4. Who does not attend Josef's bar mitzvah, much to Josef's dismay?

5. What does Isabel give the fisherman in return for gasoline to power Ivan's family's boat?

Short Essay Questions

1. What revelation does Lito make to Isabel about Miami, Florida, at one moment in the journey?

2. What is the clave?

3. List some of Isabel's and the other boat passengers' expectations of what life will be like in America.

4. What is the author's purpose for characterizing the Nazis terrorizing Josef's family as "shadows"? (1)

5. How is irony employed within the author's choice of the material that lines Isabel's boat?

6. What are the only items that Isabel and the other passengers on the tiny boat have room to bring with them on the journey to Florida from Cuba?

7. What is ironic about Josef's feelings following his bar mitzvah?

8. Why does Mahmoud's family choose Germany as a place to run to when they leave Syria?

9. What U.S. policies change and make it harder for Cuban people to seek refuge in the United States?

10. How is Isabel's kitten used by the author to send a message about hunger and fear?

(see the answer keys)

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