86 pages 2 hours read

Ishmael Beah

A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Solider

Nonfiction | Autobiography / Memoir | Adult | Published in 2007

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Exam Answer Key

Multiple Choice

1. C (Introduction)

2. B (Chapter 1)

3. A (Chapters 1)

4. A (Chapter 5)

5. D (Chapter 6)

6. B (Chapter 6)

7. A (Chapter 7)

8. C (Chapter 8)

9. A (Chapter 13)

10. D (Chapter 15)  

11. A (Chapter 15)

12. D (Chapters 15-17)

13. C (Chapter 17)

14. B (Chapter 20)

15. B (Chapter 21)

Long-Answer Response

1. Ishmael and his friends listen to rap music at the beginning of the story, and Ishmael’s cassette tapes not only save him when he and his group are captured—a boy recognizes them from their performance and the tapes confirm it—but they also provide a turning point for Ishmael when he receives one as a gift. Rap music is also Ishmael’s only source of information about New York prior to arriving there. (Chapters 1, 9, 17)

2. Ishmael is given them to help numb him and make him more amenable to fighting. It also helps to ensure that he and other troops are alert and ready to fight.