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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. When Isabel and her family learn where they have actually landed in their boat, what does an official tell them will happen if they come all the way ashore?

2. When Josef's ship's engines roar to life for the first time since arriving in a Cuban harbor, where do the passengers believe the ship will be going next?

3. As Mahmoud and his family wait at the border between Greece and Macedonia, what is NOT a planned stop on the rest of their journey to safety?

4. Where does the Greek Coast Guard take Mahmoud and the other refugees at dawn once the boat is full of people?

5. What action does Waleed take throughout the entire robbery by the taxi driver, causing Mahmoud to worry about his emotional well-being?

Short Essay Questions

1. For what purpose does Josef leave his father Aaron alone in the family's cabin when his mother is asleep?

2. For what reasons does Lito take on the role of leading Ivan's funeral ceremony?

3. What details does Isabel remember about her grandmother Lita's death?

4. How do Mahmoud and his family reach the Serbian border on their journey fleeing Syria?

5. What happens to Mahmoud's family on the way from Belgrade to the Hungarian border?

6. How does Mahmoud save his infant sister Hana from drowning after the family's dinghy bursts upon the rocks?

7. For what reason does Dr. Aber, the father of Renata and Evelyne, tell the girls to disembark from the ship without bringing any of their belongings?

8. Though the narrator states that a few of the refugees Mahmoud sees when boarding the dinghy have backpacks or plastic bags, how are most of the refugees carrying their belongings?

9. What reason is given for why Isabel has never been to church?

10. What about Waleed's reaction to being held at gunpoint worries Mahmoud about his brother even more than before?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Trace the characterization arc of one of the three major characters in the novel. Discuss whether your chosen character is a round or flat character and whether your chosen character is a static or dynamic character.

Essay Topic 2

Write a critical essay about the novel while using the critical power theory lens of Marxist theory. Use textual evidence to back up your strong, specific claim regarding the novel's treatment of issues such as class, socioeconomic status, and humanitarian aid.

Essay Topic 3

William Faulkner once famously claimed that the most important literature deals with the subject of the human heart in conflict with itself. Explain how the theme of The Individual versus Society is demonstrated within Alan Gratz's Refugee.

(see the answer keys)

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