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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. Who is Salma's husband?

2. Why does Nora think Driss leaves her what he leaves her in his will?

3. What does Coleman refuse to reveal to Nora when she asks in Part II?

4. How old was Driss when he died?

5. What is Coleman's first name?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens to Driss's donut shop after 9/11?

2. What happens that destroys Jeremy's family while he is in high school?

3. Why does Jeremy go to see Mary in Part II?

4. When is the one time Jeremy remembers his father telling him he was proud of Jeremy?

5. How do Nora and Salma embarrass Maryam in Part II?

6. Why does Jeremy decide to go to Nora's family's house for her father's wake?

7. What is the basis of Jeremy's friendship with Fierro?

8. What does Anderson Baker tell Coleman about the night Driss died in Part II?

9. What early embarrassing experience does Maryam have in trying to speak to a stranger and make friends in Part I, during her early days in America?

10. How does Jeremy's father change after his mother's death?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What specific worries does Coleman have about her son throughout the novel, and what do these particular worries reveal about society's stereotypes and expectations regarding young Black men? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay comparing and contrasting the types of pressures and expectations both Nora and Salma feel from their parents, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 3

How and why does Jeremy's and Bryan's relationship deteriorate, and what does the reader learn about Jeremy through Nora's perception of his last fight with Bryan? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 602 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample