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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. Ben says that when one person dies, it ripples outward "like" (70) what?

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

3. What does Deja do during the lunch period she spends in Miss Garcia's classroom?

4. What tactic does Deja say her mother uses whenever Deja wants to talk about Pop?

5. What is NOT an element of the house depicted within Sabeen's school project?

Short Essay Questions

1. For what reason is Deja resistant to her teacher's assigned essay topic of summer vacation?

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

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

4. What is the effect of Miss Garcia's comment to Deja that if she comes without her homework one more time, Miss Garcia will have to meet with her parents?

5. What aspects of Sabeen's home project cause Deja to act out?

6. What does Sabeen's comment "Home is divine. Blessed by Allah" (50) demonstrate about her character?

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

8. What does Deja's reluctance to find Ben's mother sincere show about her character?

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

10. Describe and analyze the author's use of chapter titles within the novel Towers Falling.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the author's choice to tell the story of Jewell Parker Rhodes's novel Towers Falling using the first person point-of-view. What elements of the novel's themes lend themselves to this choice and what is the author's intended effect on the reader?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the author's messages about guilt and responsibility within Jewell Parker Rhodes's novel Towers Falling.

Essay Topic 3

Explicate the theme of family bonds within Jewell Parker Rhodes's novel Towers Falling. What is the author's message regarding family bonds and how do you know?

(see the answer keys)

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