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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 old was Mamush when Samuel hung the letters of the Ethiopian alphabet on the wall and had Mamush repeat a few sentences at breakfast every morning?

2. How does Mamush get inside Samuel's cab in Chapter 20?

3. How did Samuel say the front end of his cab got smashed?

4. When Samuel was upset one night, and Mamush left against Elsa's wishes, how long did it take him to walk home?

5. To whom does Samuel send a picture of an atlas he finds in Samuel's cab?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did Samuel attempt to teach Mamush Amharic?

2. Why was it important for Samuel to keep his cab clean, but not too clean?

3. How did Mamush spend his time after checking into a hotel in Chicago?

4. What story does Samuel tell Mamush about a soldier and a woman from Ethiopia?

5. What is Samuel's room like at the half-way house?

6. What did Mamush's mother tell him about Samuel coming to live with them?

7. What did Mamush learn about Samuel and keys when he and Hannah visited Samuel and Elsa?

8. What type of trips did Mamush like to take with Samuel when he was young?

9. How did Samuel try to teach Mamush not to be afraid?

10. Why did Samuel tell Mamush to never apologize for anything?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Idioms are words that have a figurative, rather than a literal meaning. How are idioms used in Someone Like Us? How do idioms help create word pictures and mental images for readers in a concise manner? How do idioms help readers understand people, emotions, events, or ideas?

Essay Topic 2

Artistic license is the way that an author creates art, music, or writing based upon their interpretation of life. How does Mengestu use artistic license to create the realistic background of Someone Like Us?

Essay Topic 3

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?

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This section contains 1,057 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample