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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 does Angel want to meet Brown?

2. How does Brown perceive his relationship to Martha, primarily?

3. What moment, as Brown remembers the past, makes him feel that his business was finally a success?

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

5. What does Mr. Smith carry around for his wife?

Short Essay Questions

1. Brown's first notice from his mother comes in the form of two sentences written on a postcard. How is this indicative of his relationship with her? What does this postcard tell the reader about her pride?

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

3. When Angel has the mumps, Brown visits him at Martha's insistence, and this is the only time the two people interact for any length of time. What is the effect of this meeting? How is Angel portrayed?

4. 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?

5. 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?

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

7. From the conversation with his mother, what does Brown learn about his father? How is this knowledge in keeping with the family dynamic?

8. When Brown and Mr. Smith visit the Secretary of State, hoping to free Jones, how is Brown successful? Why is Mr. Smith's bluntness ineffective?

9. 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?

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

Brown often defines characters by their race, which seems also to determine their social standing. Is Brown trying to explain the world, or is he simply presenting the Haitian culture as it existed? What other pieces of the story present uniquely Haitian culture?

Essay Topic 2

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?

Essay Topic 3

Examine the role of the girls at Mere Catherine's establishment. What part do they play in the story, particularly Tin Tin? How do the men treat the girls? From what the author tells the reader, what role do these girls play in Haitian society?

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