View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What is the impression Jones presents to the rebels he is hiding with?
(a) An inexperienced soldier.
(b) An experienced soldier.
(c) A lonely wanderer.
(d) A wholehearted rebel.

2. When Brown and Martha are stopped by the soldier at the road-block, why does Brown protest?
(a) Because he is tired and wants to get home.
(b) Because Martha belongs to the diplomatic corps.
(c) Because he is smuggling weapons in.
(d) Because he doesn't trust the soldier.

3. When Brown disembarks from the Medea, why is Martha sitting in the place she used to rendezvous with him?
(a) Her car had broken down.
(b) She had nowhere else to go.
(c) She was meeting another man.
(d) She missed him.

4. What moment, as Brown remembers the past, makes him feel that his business was finally a success?
(a) A young couple promised to vacation there every year.
(b) His guest registry was full for nearly three months running.
(c) Tourists in the neighboring cities heard about him.
(d) A girl was making love in the pool in the middle of the night.

5. What beverage do the Smiths drink most often while onboard the ship?
(a) Orange juice.
(b) Coca-Cola.
(c) Rum.
(d) Water.

Short Answer Questions

1. When Mr. and Mrs. Smith arrive at the hotel, what room do they stay in?

2. At the beginning of Part 2, Chapter 2, what do Brown and Martha quarrel about?

3. What happens in the casino after Brown won a large amount of money?

4. What was striking about the countess's hair?

5. What happens when Brown and Mr. Smith visit the Secretary of the Interior?

Short Essay Questions

1. At the end of the book, Jones is given a military funeral with the rest of the guerrilla fighters who were killed. Is this honorable or simply ironic? How does it fit Jones's life?

2. The Smiths knew that when Mr. Smith ran for president, he had very little chance of succeeding. Why are they still proud that he ran? How does this pride explain their characters?

3. What is the significance of Martha and Brown choosing to meet by the Columbus statue? Is there humor or irony in the choice?

4. Once again, in Part 1, Chapter 4, Brown is asked to look out for Jones and any suspicious activity he may be involved in. How is this instance similar to the first? How does it differ? What changes might be attributed to a greater understanding of Jones's character?

5. Brown is aware of the ridiculous nature of three men with common names: Jones, Smith, and Brown. What does this tell the reader about Brown's view of the story?

6. When Brown first mentions his hotel to the passengers aboard the Medea, he shows them bright postcards of bikini-clad girls and jazz drummers. Does this present Brown as an optimist or a pessimist? What do the postcards tell the reader about his character?

7. Brown spends approximately one day in the Dominican Republic as he tries to get money and an exit visa. How does this country differ from Haiti? What changes does Brown note in the people, attitudes, buildings, and scenery?

8. On the way to the hotel immediately after his arrival in Haiti, Brown and Martha are stopped at a roadblock and searched. What is the purpose of telling this scene?

9. From a literary aspect, what is the effect of portraying Jones as an actor who has not learned his lines well? Why does the author use this characterization throughout the book?

10. Doctor Magiot asserts, in a conversation with Brown, "No, I don't despair, I don't believe in despair, but our problems won't be solved by the Marines. . . . We are an evil slum floating a few miles from Florida, and no American will help us with arms or money or counsel" (p. 222). Is this a fair view of the situation? What might lead the doctor to believe this?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,650 words (approx. 6 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample