Good Talk: A Memoir in Conversations

Multiple Choice

1. C (Chapter 4)

2. D (Chapter 1)

3. A (Chapters 38-39)

4. C (Chapter 29)

5. D (Various chapters)

6. B (Various chapters)

7. C (Chapter 31)

8. D (Various chapters)

9. A (Chapter 19)

10. D (Chapter 6)

11. A (Chapter 25)

12. B (Various chapters)

13. D (Chapter 1)

14. B (Various chapters)

15. A (Chapter 39)

Long Answer

1. Mira is in conflict with herself because she does not know who she is or what her place is as an American. Due to the conflicting messages she has received throughout her life from others—family, friends, and lovers—she struggles to recover her self-worth. She finds that even her own family insults her skin, and when she tries to date, people either fetishize her or use her. As an adult, Mira struggles to find a writing job that takes her seriously, and her parents pressure her to enter an arranged marriage. Mira is also in conflict with the world around her due to her race, sexuality, gender, and political views. Mira disagrees with Trump and those who support him, and these disagreements reverberate throughout the country and the world.

2. When Obama is elected, it inspires hope in the American people. There is a sense of a brighter future and the possibility that racial tensions are settling down. Mira and her family celebrate the election alongside the birth of their son, and they are filled with optimism. If America can elect a Black president, then perhaps brown people are finally coming into their much-deserved place as equal Americans. When Trump is elected, the opposite happens. People become suspicious, fearful, and even violent toward people of color. Because Trump incites fear toward Muslims, Mira finds she is categorized alongside them and treated as if she might be a terrorist. Mira worries her son Z will grow up to have similar experiences.