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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. With whom does William share his train carriage?

2. What bites the boys as they wait for the boats?

3. What color is the dog?

4. In what war does Julian say he fought?

5. What do the soldiers do when the men tell the children they are innocent?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does the camp react when John Garang visits?

2. Why does Valentino not want Achor Achor to call the police?

3. How does life in Ethiopia start to get much better for Valentino?

4. How do the teacher's young nieces distract the boys?

5. How does Deb Newmyer help Valentino at the hospital?

6. How does William say he escaped the Arabs?

7. Why does the UN build a fence around the camp?

8. What problem does Valentino say Sudanese men are having in America?

9. How does the salesman duped Valentino?

10. How does Valentino win the girls' attention?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss elements of the narrative structure: exposition, conflict, complication, climax, resolution and conclusion. Do all the elements make for a logical and linear story? How does the story's structure express the book's themes?

Essay Topic 2

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 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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