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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. When Josef and the children are below deck during their ship tour, Schiendick and his friends begin to sing a song with anti-Semitic lyrics. What is the subject of the song?
(a) German blood.
(b) The Fuhrer.
(c) Jewish blood.
(d) The Third Reich.

2. What does Mahmoud buy for his brother Waleed in one of the shops at the refugee camp in Turkey?
(a) A stuffed Teletubby.
(b) A stuffed Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle.
(c) A stuffed teddy bear.
(d) A stuffed zebra.

3. When Mahmoud's family arrives in the refugee camp in Turkey, Mahmoud's father reveals that he has found a smuggler who can get family from Turkey to what country?
(a) Iraq.
(b) Greece.
(c) Armenia.
(d) Bulgaria.

4. What words are painted underneath the portrait painted on the bottom of Isabel's boat?
(a) Seek sanctuary.
(b) Never say die.
(c) Fight against the impossible and win.
(d) Cuba Libre.

5. Isabel's best friend Ivan is also her what?
(a) Her second cousin.
(b) Her uncle.
(c) Her neighbor.
(d) Her business partner.

6. What shared characteristic had bonded the Soviet Union to Cuba prior to the collapse of the Soviet Union?
(a) Socialism.
(b) Communism.
(c) Egalitarianism.
(d) Democracy.

7. After Mahmoud's family leaves their car behind, how many hours does Google Maps say their walk to Turkey will be?
(a) 12 hours.
(b) 8 hours.
(c) 16 hours.
(d) 2 hours.

8. What is the name of the ship Josef's family's boards?
(a) MS St. Lawrence.
(b) MS St. Cyprian.
(c) MS St. Croix.
(d) MS St. Louis.

9. Prior to the collapse of the Soviet Union, most farms in Cuba had been what type of farms?
(a) Sugarcane.
(b) Rice.
(c) Alfalfa.
(d) Cattle.

10. During Isabel's boat journey, her grandfather Lito tells her that she does have family in what part of the world?
(a) Argentina.
(b) San Diego.
(c) Miami.
(d) Atlanta.

11. To what concentration camp is Josef's father sent whee he is taken into "protective custody" (3)?
(a) Bergen-Belsen.
(b) Auschwitz.
(c) Buchenwald.
(d) Dachau.

12. For what reason has Josef's family recently moved to a smaller apartment in Berlin upon the opening of the novel?
(a) Due to Josef's father losing his job.
(b) Due to an altercation with the landlord of the previous apartment.
(c) Due to recently-enacted Nazi laws.
(d) Due to their previous apartment being destroyed by a missile.

13. Who does not attend Josef's bar mitzvah, much to Josef's dismay?
(a) Josef's father.
(b) Josef's best friend.
(c) Josef's mother.
(d) Josef's sister.

14. What are piropos?
(a) Coats.
(b) Beaches.
(c) Flirtatious compliments Cuban men say to women on the street.
(d) Fried dough pockets filled with meat.

15. When Mahmoud's family receives the name of a nearby hotel that "accepts Syrians" (105), why do they not stay there?
(a) It is already full of other families sharing rooms.
(b) It is in a dangerous neighborhood.
(c) They cannot find it and eventually give up.
(d) It is too expensive.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who gives Mahmoud's father directions that will keep the family away from major sites of fighting?

2. In order to avail themselves of the smuggler's help, Mahmoud and his family must first make it to what city on the coast of Turkey?

3. Who is the subject of the portrait that the rabbi asks Captain Schroeder to remove during the bar mitzvah on the ship?

4. What does Ivan want to be when he grows up?

5. When Josef overhears two stewards talking about racing other boats to Cuba, how many other boats do they say are traveling their route?

(see the answer keys)

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