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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. After Mr. Hart left, Manny felt how angry Manuel was and he wanted to run away. What prevented him from running away?

2. According to Manny, what did Mr. Hart's office smell like?

3. What reasons did Manny give for he and Nardo being slow at picking chili peppers?

4. What did the Garcia brothers have in their hands when they were chasing the dog?

5. What did Manny say was the true reason Rebecca had gone to Sophie's to get her hair done?

Short Essay Questions

1. How is the theme of racism demonstrated within the scene when Manny asks the secretary for his transcripts?

2. What parallel did Manny draw between his grandfather Ignacio's personality and his own personality?

3. What is the significance of Manuel's words to Manny after he snatched the $20l from Manny's pocket?

4. What did Manuel do with the $20 he took from Manny's pocket?

5. How does the theme of "otherness" emerge within the aftermath of the Immigration officers' removal of the illegal immigrants from the field?

6. What kind of relationship did Manny's father and mother have?

7. Why was Manuel immediately furious when he saw Manny get out of Mr. Hart's car?

8. What was the main reason Nardo was reluctant to work in the fields?

9. What effect does the simile have on the reader when Manny saw a van coming toward the fields and described it as "approaching like a dog sneaking up on a bush" (13)?

10. What is ironic about Nardo being the one that "jeered at the [Immigration] officers" the loudest as the people were led away and put into vans?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Many characters within the novel exemplify pervasive stereotypes about Mexican-Americans, including Nardo's laziness, Manuel's violent nature, and Rebecca's passivity in the face of abuse. Write an argumentative essay about whether or not the novel should be read in schools. Support your points with concrete details from the narrative.

Essay Topic 2

Victor Martinez cites one of his main literary influences as the poet William Carlos Williams, who is famous for his philosophy of literature that states, “There are no ideas but in things” (216). Discuss the meaning of this literary philosophy and explain how Parrot in the Oven displays its use. Use textual details to support your discussion.

Essay Topic 3

Analyze the African-American newspaper man's decision not to tell the police that Manny was an accomplice in Eddie's robbery of the woman outside the bank. Why does he make that decision and how do you know? In terms of traditional Western morality, what his decision just? Back up your points with quotes from the robbery scene.

(see the answer keys)

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