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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. Where did Nelia Zafon sleep for the first three nights when she arrived in New York?

2. What is the name of the used car dealer who sells Rafael the Volkswagen?

3. By what means of transportation does Arturo set out to find Maribel when she goes missing?

4. With what friend does Alma describe Maribel painting their fingernails black?

5. How does Rafael drive home from the used car lot in his new Volkswagen?

Short Essay Questions

1. What are the repercussions of Quisqueya's news of Mayor and Maribel?

2. What do the Riveras do to celebrate their anniversary? What mood is created in this scene?

3. How does Gloria come into a sum of money? How much is it? What does she do with it?

4. What kind of car do the Toros buy? Why?

5. Why is Arturo fired from his job at the mushroom farm?

6. What leads to the fight between Mayor and Garrett? How does the fight end?

7. Why does Arturo have such a difficult time finding a new job?

8. Who is Jose Mercado and what is his backstory?

9. What information about Mayor and Maribel does Quisqueya relate to the Riveras?

10. Why does Rafael lose his job? What problems does this present?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Who is Micho Alvarez? To what is he referring when he states the titular line of the novel? How is Micho different from the other main characters? What role does he play in the novel's plot?

Essay Topic 2

Describe and discuss examples of irony in The Book of Unknown Americans. What are examples of dramatic irony in the novel? What are examples of verbal irony? What are examples of situational irony? What purpose does each example serve?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the symbolism of snow and ice in The Book of Unknown Americans. What does snow represent to Mayor and to Maribel? How does the author use imagery to describe the ice storm? How is imagery used to describe the beach in the snow?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 805 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample