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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What sort of job does Deja's mother have?
(a) She is a waitress.
(b) She is a cook.
(c) She is a stewardess.
(d) She is a social worker.

2. What is Deja's solution to needing to babysit and work on the group project at the same time?
(a) She calls Ben and Sabeen on the phone.
(b) She takes Leda and Ray with her to Ben's house.
(c) She posts her part of the project on Facebook.
(d) She takes only Ray with her to Ben's house.

3. After Deja writes a short essay and Miss Garcia tells Deja she can do better, what action does Miss Garcia take?
(a) She tells Deja that the essay would earn a D without revision.
(b) She helps Deja write a strong thesis statement.
(c) She tells Deja that the essay would earn a C without revision.
(d) She helps Deja think of concrete details that will provide ample evidence.

4. What is the reason that Deja does not get free lunches at school?
(a) She likes the bagged lunches provided by the family shelter.
(b) She does not like the food in the cafeteria.
(c) Her parents do not want her to suffer the stigma associated with free lunches.
(d) She does not want to stand out from the other students.

5. What sort of home does Ben's school project depict?
(a) Ben's drawing depicts a ranch house with horses and other animals.
(b) Ben's drawing depicts a one-room apartment.
(c) Ben's drawing depicts a mansion and a sprawling three-acre estate.
(d) Ben's drawing depicts a three-story townhouse.

Short Answer Questions

1. Deja says that both Ben's mother and Ma do the same thing when they are "pretending nothing's wrong" (79). What is that action?

2. What adjective does Ben use when he sees that Deja has shown up to his house with Ray and Leda in tow?

3. What does Deja say the shelter smells like?

4. For what purpose does Ray create a set of interconnected paper dolls?

5. When Miss Garcia calls the students to the window, points to the Manhattan skyline, and asks them to find what is different between the current skyline and the picture of the skyline she is holding, who is the first student to notice the difference?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the author's depiction of Deja's youth through the use of language.

2. What activity will comprise Miss Garcia's students' final element of their unit about 9/11?

3. How does Deja introduce herself to her new classmates and what does her choice reveal about her character?

4. Provide evidence for the conclusion that Deja is mature beyond her years.

5. What happens when Deja innocently remarks that her school project is "not just about home, it's about the missing towers" (45)?

6. What type of language does the author use in order to portray Deja, the novel's protagonist?

7. What is the purpose of the author's inclusion of the Mr. Schmidt character?

8. What is the significance of Deja's mother's comment that, "A good woman has a clean house. Everything should be in its proper place"? (41)

9. What object does Deja say is "the neatest thing in the whole room" (41) at the Avalon Family Shelter?

10. What is the significance of Deja's name and how do you think it will relate to coming events in the narrative?

(see the answer keys)

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