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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. For whom does Josef tear his clothing in recognition of his own loss of the person?

2. 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?

3. Who sews Ruthie's stuffed bunny back together before she can see it headless?

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

5. Why is Lito alarmed when a passenger shoots at the sharks in the water with his pistol?

Short Essay Questions

1. On the second day of Isabel's journey, it is said that it seems to Isabel and Ivan that everyone has a job but the two of them. What jobs are being handled by the others?

2. What does Isabel mean when she thinks that "Fidel Castro has Ivan's blood all over him" (224)?

3. For what reasons does Lito take on the role of leading Ivan's funeral ceremony?

4. When Isabel realizes that each part of the journey has been like the verse of a song, what results does she come up with when thinking of the various verses the song would include?

5. What plans for his life in Florida does Señor Castillo reveal to the remaining passengers in the boat after Ivan's death?

6. How do Mahmoud and his family reach the Serbian border on their journey fleeing Syria?

7. How does Mahmoud save his infant sister Hana from drowning after the family's dinghy bursts upon the rocks?

8. What is the reason given for the firemen on the ship engaging in bad behavior while the ship is docked in Cuba and what are they said to be doing?

9. What change occurs in Josef's mother's personality once the MS St. Louis leaves Cuba?

10. What happens to Mahmoud's family on the way from Belgrade to the Hungarian border?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is the author's message regarding motherhood and what themes does the author employ in order to send these messages to the reader?

Essay Topic 2

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

Essay Topic 3

Choose three major symbols within the narrative and discuss in an essay the connections between these three symbols and three major themes present within the novel.

(see the answer keys)

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