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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. What is the compound full of?

2. Why does Valentino decide to join Dut's group?

3. What does Valentino's father want to do in Aweil?

4. Why does Valentino say Marial Bai suffered more than other villages?

5. Why does Valentino think the Sudanese have struggled in America?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does the name Michael remind Valentino of?

2. What does Valentino start thinking about when he was a little boy in Sudan?

3. Why was Tabitha coveted by all the Sudanese men in America?

4. How does Valentino's mother react when they hear horses?

5. Why does Valentino say the Arabs will destroy his village?

6. What does Valentino say about slavery?

7. How does Valentino describe his mother?

8. What does Valentino see happening from the church?

9. What problems does Valentino's father have in Aweil?

10. What problem does Valentino's father have with the rebels?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Who are the SPLA and how influential were they in Sudan? What does Valentino thinks of the SPLA? How does Eggers express Valentino's views in the book?

Essay Topic 2

Compare Valentino's character to the person he was at the beginning of the book to who he is at the end.

1. What did Valentino hope to achieve at the beginning of the book?

2. What events changes Valentino ideas about life?

3. How has Valentino's character changed by the end of the book?

Essay Topic 3

Examine the author's writing style. How would you describe the author's prose style? What kind of vocabulary does he use? What meaning does the author's style give to the story?

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This section contains 724 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample