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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What did Magda do that signaled to her family that her fever had broken and she was going to be fine?
(a) She looked suddenly alert and surprised to see them standing over her.
(b) She asked for food.
(c) She laughed.
(d) She told them she felt better.

2. Who woke up Nardo and Manny and told them to go do yard work at Grandma Rosa's house?
(a) Pedi.
(b) Magda.
(c) Manuel.
(d) Rebecca.

3. What feature had the city wanted to build when they had torn down most of the houses around Grandma Rosa's place?
(a) A reservoir.
(b) A skate park.
(c) A roller skating rink.
(d) A freeway.

4. What unusual items did Lencho mention that Miss Van der Meer had in her classroom?
(a) Boom boxes.
(b) Microscopes.
(c) Couches.
(d) Beanbag chairs.

5. When she did not have enough money to buy a new dress for the funeral, what did Rebecca buy instead with the little money she had?
(a) New shoes for Manuel.
(b) A new scarf.
(c) A pinata.
(d) Sweet bread, fried tortillas, and sweet potatoes.

Short Answer Questions

1. What action did Rebecca finally take when Manny kept insisting that they needed to take Magda back to the hospital?

2. What simile did the author use to describe the weather on the day of Grandma Rosa's funeral?

3. What was one fruit that did NOT grow on the tree Manny's grandfather had created by grafting many different branches together?

4. What was Magda's reply when she came back from her date and Manny asked her why her hair was messy?

5. What was the main reason Lencho came over to talk to Manny during lunch on the first day he did so?

Short Essay Questions

1. When Manny dreamt of Grandma Rosa the night before her funeral, what happened within his dream and how did he react once he woke up?

2. What did the argument between Magda and her mother Rebecca concerning Magda ruining her future show about Magda's character?

3. Manny relates that his maternal grandfather died a few years back. What was his grandfather's health like before he died?

4. Why did Manuel assume that Grandma Rosa's house would go to Rebecca and what were his plans for it when that happened?

5. Though at first Rebecca claimed it was their lack of money that was keeping her from taking Magda back to the hospital after her fever kept rising, what did she finally admit was the real reason?

6. When Magda came home and her family rushed her to the hospital, what symptoms was she exhibiting and to what prognosis did her symptoms point?

7. Why was it so important to Miguel that Lencho win the boxing match against Boise?

8. What actions did Manny hope Rebecca would take in response to Manuel's abusive actions that resulted in his being jailed?

9. What is the author's purpose in letting the reader know that Malcolm, Chico's opponent, had been the only one in Biology class to know what volume of blood is produced when a girl has her period?

10. How does Manny's act of nearly shooting his little sister Pedi play into the novel's theme regarding the power of choice?

(see the answer keys)

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