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1. What ailment does Grandfather claim to have and why? How do you know he is lying?

Grandfather claims to be blind. He has said that he became blind when his wife died. Alex's father tells him that he acts blind because he "pine[s] for the negative of loneliness"(5), which means he doesn't want to be lonely anymore. He isn't really blind though, or else he would not agree to drive and be a guide to someone else. Also, he watches television. Moreover, his "seeing eye dog" is not trained to guide the blind and acts as a companion.

2. Why does Alex agree to go to Lutsk? Use the book to aid in your response.

Alex agrees to go to Lutsk for two reasons: he wants to make his father proud and wants to do something different. He tells that when his father asked him if he spoke English well, he exaggerated: "'I am fluid,' I told him, hoping I might make him proud" (4). He misuses the language even as he brags about his abilities, but he does not back down from this lie because he seeks his father's approval. Also, Alex tells that there are three people in his house named Alex and that this is "why I was so effervescent to go to Lutsk . . . It would be unordinary" (2). He seems himself as needing to stand out from the crowd (particularly the crowd named Alex). He wants something different for his life.

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