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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 do some of the young men of the neighborhood demand of Joseph to make amends for what they think are his crimes?

2. What do the neighborhood gangs do to Joseph's church?

3. What does Tante Denise think Marie Micheline really died from?

4. How does Joseph convince Maxo to leave him there in his house after all the violence in October 2004?

5. Where does Joseph go after leaving the first neighbor's house he takes refuge in in October 2004?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Danticat's father say when, as a child, she asks him what he would like to do if he could do something other than his actual job?

2. What folktale about hell does Danticat recall Granme Melina telling?

3. What factor about Danticat's pregnancy causes her some anxiety?

4. What does Danticat's father have to say about having an only child?

5. In the section "Brother, I Can Speak," how does Danticat's father refer to Danticat and Bob in front of Joseph when he comes to visit in New York?

6. In the section titled "Gypsy," what is Danticat's new home in America like physically?

7. What story about Marie Micheline does Danticat tell her Uncle Joseph the night of Marie Micheline's funeral?

8. What does Danticat's father do for work in the United States, and what are some of his challenges on the job?

9. What does Danticat mistake the fire escape of her family's New York apartment for?

10. How does Joseph eventually convince Maxo to leave the house under cover of darkness in October 2004?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Marie Micheline dies in the midst of a violent outbreak in her neighborhood, and there is shooting outside by neighborhood gangs at Tante Denise's funeral. Write an essay exploring how the backdrop of violence in Danticat's family's Bel Air neighborhood in Haiti affects their lives and their outlooks.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay exploring the faith that both Joseph and Mira place in herbal and alternative medicine. Where does the tradition that they follow seem to have originated?

Essay Topic 3

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.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 857 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample