View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Where does Danticat go with her father before his doctor's appointment in the section titled "Have You Enjoyed Your Life?"?

2. What age is Danticat when she moves in with Uncle Joseph and Tante Denise?

3. When do Danticat's parents reappear in Haiti again after leaving her with Joseph and Denise?

4. Who does Danticat's father run his car service with?

5. What does Marie Micheline tell Joseph when he comes to free her from her husband?

Short Essay Questions

1. What eventually happens with Marie Micheline's first husband, Pressoir?

2. In the section titled Good-bye, how does Danticat remember neighbors treating her Uncle Joseph after his tracheotomy?

3. What does Marie Micheline say to Uncle Joseph when he comes to rescue her from Pressoir?

4. How does Uncle Joseph first meet Tante Denise?

5. What does Danticat remember most fondly about Marie Micheline's kindness towards her as a young child?

6. Why does Danticat's father Mira decide not to take the codeine his doctor has prescribed for him?

7. In the section titled "Good-bye," how do the children determine that Granme Melina has died?

8. Who is the father of Marie Micheline's first baby and what is that person's reaction when confronted with the fact of the pregnancy?

9. What two opposite pieces of news does Danticat receive on the same day in early July 2004?

10. What does Danticat's brother Kelly recall when she tells him she is pregnant in the section titled "We're All Dying"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Danticat's father, Mira, experiences oppression both in Haiti and America. Write an essay comparing and contrasting the sources and manifestations of the oppression Mira experiences in both countries.

Essay Topic 2

Why does Danticat's Uncle Joseph turn to religion? By the end of the book, does Joseph seem to have found the meaning he was searching for in his religious work? Write an essay explaining your answer.

Essay Topic 3

Given the United States' long, violent, and often exploitative relationship with Haiti, what do you think is Danticat's opinion of the country she moved to as an adolescent? Given her family's experiences - especially Joseph's - in the United States, how would you describe her opinion of America? Write an essay explaining your answer.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 762 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample