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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. In what year does Isabel's narrative from Havana, Cuba begin?
(a) 1959.
(b) 2001.
(c) 1983.
(d) 1994.

2. For what reason has Josef's family recently moved to a smaller apartment in Berlin upon the opening of the novel?
(a) Due to their previous apartment being destroyed by a missile.
(b) Due to an altercation with the landlord of the previous apartment.
(c) Due to recently-enacted Nazi laws.
(d) Due to Josef's father losing his job.

3. Josef's family is traveling on a train in order to get on a ship headed for what country?
(a) Columbia.
(b) The United States.
(c) Cuba.
(d) Germany.

4. What do Mahmoud and his brother Waleed do when they see two boys robbing another boy of a loaf of bread?
(a) They hide and then sneak away.
(b) They make noise in hopes of distracting the robbers.
(c) They find a policeman.
(d) They challenge the robbers.

5. Ivan's favorite team, The Industriales, is what type of team?
(a) A basketball team.
(b) A baseball team.
(c) A lacrosse team.
(d) A soccer team.

Short Answer Questions

1. The Nazis who storm Josef's family's home are never depicted directly by the author. Instead, what word is used to refer to them throughout the scene?

2. To what type of structure does the boy lead Mahmoud and his family?

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

4. After how many months in a concentration camp is Josef's father released?

5. What is the name of the ship Josef's family's boards?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. How does the author go about portraying Mahmoud as an empathetic soul?

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

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

7. What is the clave?

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

9. 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?

10. 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?

(see the answer keys)

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