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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 place did Mawi's father tell his family was the land of paradise in "The Camp"?

2. In the Author's Note, he states that his true name was what?

3. For the first two weeks that Mawai's family lived in the United States, they shared a two bedroom hotel room in what city?

4. With what song would bullies serenade Mehret?

5. Eritrea has an extensive coastline along what body of water?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Mawi describe his memories of his family as refugees in "The Camp"?

2. How does the author describe his origins in the Author's Note? What is the political history of this region?

3. What did Mawi's family learn about American culture through television in "A New Life"? What else did they do for entertainment?

4. What did Mawi's parents believe about education, as described in "Playground Warfare"? Why?

5. What did the strangers from Mawi's homeland bring to his family in "A New Life"? How did they help his mother?

6. Where did Mawi's family stay upon their arrival in the U.S. in "A New Life"? Who met and helped them at the airport?

7. What symbolism is employed in describing Mawi's younger brother's birth in "A New Life"?

8. What example of foreshadowing does the author employ in "A New Life"? What did the family learn about American culture in this chapter?

9. How does Mawi describe his interactions with bullies in "The Camp"? Who came to his aid when he was attacked?

10. With whom did Mawi travel across the desert in "Memories"? Where were they going? How old was Mawi?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the theme of sacrifice in the narrative, and examine the reasons for Haileab's sacrifice in leaving his homeland. What dangers did his family face in staying where they were? Why did Haileab leave behind his wealth and everything he owned? How many others faced the same perils in order to escape?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the correlations between food and culture. How is local cuisine relative to an individual's cultural identity? What did obtaining their native foods mean for Mawi's family? How does the relationship between food and culture differ within different communities and regions?

Essay Topic 3

Describe the settings of Chicago and Wheaton, Illinois. How do the settings of Chicago and Wheaton differ? What were the author's first impressions of each? In what year did Mawi's family arrive? How much English did the members of the family speak?

(see the answer keys)

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