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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. How long had Samuel been driving a cab in DC when he was mistakenly arrested?

2. What was the name of the friend who used to call Mamush's mother a "tough cookie" (73)?

3. What excuse did Hannah use to try to get another flight in Chapter 1?

4. What time is it in Paris when Hannah sends Mamush a photo of a cut apple?

5. Where is Samuel from?

Short Essay Questions

1. What was the home like that Samuel and Elsa lived in when Mamush and Hannah came to America together?

2. What did Hannah find secreted around the apartment she shared with Mamush, and what did she have to say about it?

3. Where did Mamush spend time a few months after his son was born?

4. What does Mamush's mother tell him about Samuel's death?

5. After Mamush left the airport in Chicago, where did he have a cab driver taken him and what did he do there?

6. How did Mamush miss his flight to America?

7. What friend of Mamush's mother died when he was 14, and what did he learn about the woman?

8. When and why did Samuel insist Mamush celebrate Thanksgiving with him and Elsa after college and Mamush started his career?

9. What does Mamush remember about the drive when he and Hannah first visited America together?

10. How did Samuel try to help Mamush when he stopped writing?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

A character arc is the inner journey of a character in a book. What is Mamush’s character arc, and what situations influence his growth and maturity?

Essay Topic 2

In media res is the technique of beginning a story with a pivotal point or a situation that is the end to a series of events. Where does Mengestu begin the story? How does he plunge into the story without an explanation? How does beginning the story in the middle of the action affect the plot and affect readers?

Essay Topic 3

Mamush’s girlfriend, Claire, compares him to a donut. Why does Claire compare Mamush to a donut, and what does that comparison reveal about Mamush?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 961 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample