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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. In "Dear Sara," what is the shade of Sara's shoes?

2. What does the speaker compare childhood to in "Dear Peter"?

3. In "Dear Sara," what do sleeping elephants look like?

4. In "You Guys," what does the speaker say he is told our blood looks like before "touching the world"?

5. In "Snow Theory," what does the speaker say we will always have?

Short Essay Questions

1. In "American Legend," what is the purpose of the car ride of the speaker with his father?

2. In "Skinny Dipping," what happens when the speaker jumps from the bridge?

3. In "Waterline," what does the speaker imagine?

4. In "The Bull," how does the boy feel about the bull?

5. What do you think Vuong means in "The Bull" when he says that as a boy, he is the "murderer of his own childhood"?

6. In "Dear Peter," who is Peter to the speaker?

7. In "American Legend," what does the speaker suspect about himself and his motivations during the car crash?

8. In "Snow Theory," what does the speaker not do since seeing the snow?

9. In "Rise and Shine," how does the speaker betray his own mother?

10. In "Rise and Shine," what does the speaker do to try to atone for treating his mother badly?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does Vuong create a sense of continuity for the reader throughout this entire collection? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 2

Which specific aspects of childhood and adolescence does Vuong treat throughout this collection? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 3

Through which poems, and using which devices, does Vuong address the topic of police violence and brutality in modern America - especially towards people of color? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

(see the answer keys)

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