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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. What does Martha's husband think about her affair with Brown?

2. What are Jones's last words to Philipot?

3. Why does Joseph limp?

4. Jones appears at the brothel the same night that Brown talks with the Tonton Macoute. How is he treated?

5. What is Brown's idea to help Jones escape?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Chapter 1 of Part 1, Brown and Jones meet as Jones is attempting to bribe the steward to switch their rooms. How is this first scene indicative of Jones's character?

2. In Part 1, Chapter 5, Brown notes that he cannot remember Martha's voice, though he can picture her handwriting. What clue does this give the reader about their relationship?

3. 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?

4. Both the Secretary of State and Jones are confused by the idea that Jones would be charged with something. How is this indicative of Haitian politics? How does Brown's narration of the scene explain his view of it?

5. 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?

6. Brown worries that Martha enjoys Jones's company, especially when she says it is because he makes the family laugh. Why is Brown so concerned? Does he feel that his relationship with Martha is threatened because of Jones?

7. In Part 1, Chapter 3, why does Brown tell the story of his lost virginity? How does his youthful past tie into his present relationship?

8. After Philipot's body is removed from the pool, Joseph cleans the pool so Mr. Smith can swim. Mr. Smith passes very close to where the body had crouched, and Brown cringes to think of the two scenarios. How is this, in a succinct fashion, an indication of the story?

9. When Brown reaches the hotel, Joseph answers his call timidly, and with a bowed head tells him the story of Doctor Philipot. What does this tell the reader about Joseph's character?

10. When Mr. Smith sees Philipot's body in the pool, he thinks he is a sleeping beggar. How does this thought reflect on Mr. Smith's character? What about the fact that he wants to take money to the man?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In Chapter Two of the first section, Brown notes that the ambassador is proud of what he owns, yet in the case of his wife he is perhaps willing to share. Examine the ambassador's character in comparison to this statement. Why, in light of the Haitian culture that the author explains, is possession so important? What does this say about the ambassador's marriage?

Essay Topic 2

Martha notes that when Brown loves her, she is a woman. When he is angry at her, she is a German. How is this true? Find examples throughout the book of his loving or hurting her. For example, several times in Part One, Chapter Three, he refers to her German heritage. Does he care more about her father's crimes or about hurting her? Does he have any personal connection to the Nazi crimes?

Essay Topic 3

What is the significance of the characters' names? The three main male characters have common, interchangeable names. Martha's last name is rarely mentioned. Doctor Philipot's name is nonsense. Does this change the characters? How does the reader perceive them? What might the author be doing by choosing these names?

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