View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. At the beginning of Part 1, Chapter 3, as the Smiths are being driven to the airport, what does Mr. Smith do?

2. Why do Brown and Jones sleep in the cemetery until daybreak?

3. How does Brown describe the new Secretary for Social Welfare?

4. At the beginning of Chapter Two, why does Joseph ask Brown to attend a Voodoo ceremony?

5. Where is Jones forced to hide when Haitian police officers enter the ship?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why do the Smiths change their minds about opening a vegetarian center? How does the Secretary for Social Welfare misunderstand Mr. Smith?

2. When Mr. Smith, Brown, and the Secretary for Social Welfare survey Duvalierville with the purpose of building a vegetarian center, the only person they see is a justice of the peace. What is the irony of this man?

3. At the end of Part 2, Chapter 1, Brown comes to a realization about himself. What is this realization? How does it change the reader's understanding of him? How does it fit with his wandering to the casino and then to the Medea, talking with the purser?

4. What is the purpose of the Tonton Macoutes' visit to Brown at six o'clock in the morning? Do they expect to find anyone?

5. When Brown attends the Voodoo ceremony with Joseph, several white-wrapped bodies are held close to the flame so that the skin burns. What is the effect of this scene? What is its possible antecedent?

6. As the two men wait out the night in the cemetery, Jones tells Brown the truth about his life. Is this a fitting time for his confession? Why would he confess to Brown instead of anyone else?

7. When Brown's car breaks down on the road, he and Jones take refuge in a cemetery until the morning. How does this fit their time in Haiti? How does it portend what is to come?

8. Though Brown does not want to board the Medea for a last drink with the purser, he feels attached to the ship and the memories there. What does this say about Brown's loneliness? Is he happy alone in his hotel?

9. When just before leaving Haiti, Mr. Smith scatters money in front of the post office, what does he show about himself? Has he changed since he first came to the country?

10. When Brown picks up Jones at the British embassy to smuggle him out of the city, how has Jones's attitude changed? What motivates this?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Who is Jones when is he honest about himself to Brown? What impression does he give of his own character?

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 new Secretary for Social Welfare is the only government official who has any real part in the novel. Examine his character traits as presented by Brown in his conversation and actions. How does his character reflect the whole government? How is he a representative of Papa Doc? Is his official title hopeful or ironic?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,721 words (approx. 6 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample