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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. Why is Brown not afraid to smuggle Philipot's body off his property?

2. A Tonton Macoute strikes up a conversation with Brown. Who is this man?

3. Why does Brown leave the military base?

4. What does Petit Pierre bring to Brown early in the morning, the first day after he arrives home?

5. Where did Brown attend school as a child?

Short Essay Questions

1. After visiting Martha and her husband at the embassy, what drives Brown to Mere Catherine's? Is he satisfied there?

2. What is the purpose of the night of entertainment aboard the ship, in Part 1, Chapter 1?

3. 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?

4. 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?

5. 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?

6. In Part 1, Chapter 5, the small funeral entourage that drives to Petionville to bury Doctor Philipot is in a great hurry. Why is this? How does this tie in with the doctor's death?

7. Brown observes, following his disastrous conversation with Angel, that the quality which attracts him in a woman is not beauty but goodness. How is this similar to Jones's pursuit of virtue? Why does he find goodness in Martha?

8. Petit Pierre is introduced at the beginning of Part 1, Chapter 2. What purpose does his character play? How is he similar to Brown?

9. 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?

10. 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?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What role does Angel play in the novel? Could it be said that he acts as Brown's conscience, or is he merely an annoying child? Why is Martha so attached to him and how does this attachment change her relationship with Brown?

Essay Topic 2

Throughout the book, there is little fast-paced action. Every occurrence happens slowly and deliberately. How does this fit the volatile political situation? How does this fit the Haitian personality, as the author reveals it? What does the sluggish air lend to each of the main characters?

Essay Topic 3

The Smiths are devoted to the idea of the vegetarian center, even when Haitian reality tells them that it will never happen. They are clinging to the dream in the face of truth. Where else does this happen in the novel? Who is clinging to dream that can never become reality?

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