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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. When a boy offers to show Mahmoud and his family somewhere they can sleep, how much money does he charge them for the information?
(a) 500 Syrian pounds or about $2.50 American dollars.
(b) 2,000 Syrian pounds or about $10 American dollars.
(c) 6,000 Syrian pounds or about $30 American dollars.
(d) 1,000 Syrian pounds or about $5 American dollars.

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

3. Whose face is featured prominently on the floor of Isabel's boat?
(a) Joseph Stalin.
(b) Che Guevara.
(c) Pablo Escobar.
(d) Fidel Castro.

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

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

Short Answer Questions

1. 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?

2. Ivan's favorite team, The Industriales, is what type of team?

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

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

5. 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?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What does Mahmoud buy for his little brother Waleed at a shop in the Turkish refugee camp and what does he hope to achieve with his purchase?

3. What event is just about to happen when the motor of Isabel's family's boat splutters and dies?

4. What is the clave?

5. Compare and contrast Josef's thoughts about the ship's full speed with Captain Schroeder's comments about the ship's full speed.

6. What qualities of Senor Castillo's lead to his role as the leader on the boat?

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

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

9. What happens the first two times Isabel's father tries to journey to America from Cuba?

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

(see the answer keys)

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