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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. Who dies at the end of this section?

2. In what war does Julian say he fought?

3. How has the village changed since they were last there?

4. What do the children plant on the farmland?

5. What does Deng complain about?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe Valentino's life at Kakuma.

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

3. How did the Arabs treat Moses?

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

5. Why does William start to throw sand at people?

6. How does Eggers mix non-fiction and fiction in the book?

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

8. How does the salesman duped Valentino?

9. How does Valentino win the girls' attention?

10. How does Achor Achor help Valentino?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

Essay Topic 2

Choose one of Eggers' previous books and contrast it with WHAT IS THE WHAT terms of the following:

1. Style.

2. Structure.

3. Themes.

Essay Topic 3

Identify the main themes of the story. In what way are these themes relevant to the period? How does the author use character and setting to express these themes?

(see the answer keys)

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