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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. Miss Garcia asks Deja to read the definition of what term during the class discussion about community?

2. What is NOT an element of Ben's physical appearance?

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

4. Whenever Deja asks about the contents of Pop's briefcase, what is Ma's reply?

5. Who is always tasked with the responsibility of getting Leda and Ray ready for day care?

Short Essay Questions

1. For what reason does Deja's sympathy for Ben surprise her?

2. Explain the circumstances of Deja's exclamation, "He's always ruining my life!" (75).

3. Describe what the reader learns about Deja's father, Pop, in the chapter entitled New School.

4. What effect does Miss Garcia's guidance have on Deja?

5. Explain the significance of Deja's initial reaction to the cultural map in the school hallway.

6. 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)

7. Discuss the point of view utilized to tell the story of Towers Falling.

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is the author's message regarding patriotism in Jewell Parker Rhodes's novel Towers Falling and what themes does the author employ in order to send these messages to the reader?

Essay Topic 2

William Faulkner once famously claimed that the most important literature deals with the subject of the human heart in conflict with itself. Explain how the theme of Human versus Self is demonstrated within Jewell Parker Rhodes's novel Towers Falling. Create a decisive, arguable claim and prove it with quotes from the book.

Essay Topic 3

Sensory details are used frequently by the author in order to create vivid pictures of each character's progression through the narrative. Choose three scenes in which sensory details are heavily used and discuss how the sensory details used by the author set a particular mood for each of the three scenes.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,160 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample