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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 incident happens in Ben's childhood that his father does not talk to his mother for nearly a month over?

2. What does Omar ask Ben in Chapter 30?

3. What two matters do Mike and Ben discuss in their relationship at around the same time?

4. What does Ben ask Mitsuko in Chapter 26?

5. In Chapter 22, who calls Ben asking for help?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Ben feel about his job at the daycare?

2. In Chapter 25, how does Ben react when his mother takes him to her new house for the first time?

3. Where do Mitsuko and Ben go together in Chapter 31?

4. What do Ben and Mitsuko start doing together in the apartment in Part I?

5. What is awkward for Benson about Mike leaving for Osaka in Chapter 1?

6. What does Ben's father say about his sexuality in Chapter 19 that is entirely offensive?

7. What embarrasses Ben about his father when they go out to dinner together in Chapter 19?

8. What is one of Ben's father's most serious problems?

9. What does Lydia ask Ben to do in Part I?

10. Who startles Ben by asking him out on a date in Part II?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does Mike's trip to Japan, and his working at Eiju's bar and meeting all of Eiju's friends and acquaintances, change Mike's view of his father? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 2

What are some of the most significant challenges and problems in Ben's and Mike's relationship throughout the novel? Write an essay explaining your answers.

Essay Topic 3

How does the reader find out that Benson is HIV positive, and why do you think Washington chose to let the reader know this information at this point in the book and in this manner? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

(see the answer keys)

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