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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. On October 30, what does Gabi say that Martin's poem he read in class was about?

2. How does Gabi feel about her SAT results?

3. What do Cindy and Gabi do at the mall October 3 together?

4. Who is Gabi's best friend?

5. Why is Gabi disappointed with her father's latest attempt to get sober in her October 21 entry?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Beto get arrested for?

2. What does Gabi's mother say to her every time she goes out with a guy?

3. What does Gabi hide in various places around her room that she refers to as her stash?

4. What upsets Gabi about the way Eric treats Sebastian at the mall?

5. What is the main reason that Tia Bertha moves in with the Hernandez family as Gabi starts the school year?

6. Why does Gabi decide not to tell Eric, her new boyfriend, about what is going on with her father's struggle with addiction?

7. How does Cindy react when Gabi asks her what it felt like to have sex?

8. Where does Gabi most want to go to college as she sends her applications out?

9. Why does Gabi think her own mother should have more sympathy for Cindy after Cindy finds out she is pregnant?

10. Why is Gabi unhappy with her own skin color?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Although Gabi loves her family fiercely, she dreams of leaving her hometown to attend college, which she is poised to do at the novel's end after being admitted to Berkeley. Write an essay analyzing the ways in which Gabi chooses to break with her family's traditions and expectations of her.

Essay Topic 2

Considering all the adversity that Gabi has had to deal with in her young life - especially her father's years of drug addiction and eventual death - do you think she will be able to go on to succeed in college and achieve her dream of becoming a writer? Write an essay explaining why or why not, citing specific references to the text.

Essay Topic 3

One of the phrases Gabi's mother repeatedly says to her as advice on how to handle relationships with boys and men is "eyes open, legs closed" (7). Write an essay analyzing how Gabi feels about this advice, especially in light of the fact that her mother experiences an unplanned pregnancy herself during the course of the novel.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 723 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample