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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Mahmoud buy for his brother Waleed in one of the shops at the refugee camp in Turkey?

2. Who takes Josef and the other children on a tour of the ship?

3. Schiendick enrages Josef's father by saying that German law states that what object must be covered with the Nazi flag?

4. When Mahmoud and his family meet the smuggler at the designated meeting point, when does he say the boat will leave?

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

Short Essay Questions

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

2. How does Mahmoud feel about invisibility?

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

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

5. Of everyone in Mahmoud's family, who comes the closest to losing his or her life when the apartment is hit by a missile?

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

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

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

9. Why does Isabel feel awe in response to the riots in Cuba in addition to fear?

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?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explicate the theme of family bonds within the novel. What is the author's message regarding family bonds and how do you know?

Essay Topic 2

William Faulkner once famously claimed that the most important literature deals with the subject of the human heart in conflict with itself. Explain how the theme of The Individual versus Society is demonstrated within Alan Gratz's Refugee.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the instances of irony within the novel's narrative and analyze the author's purpose for including each instance you discuss.

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