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

2. When Manny described a fight he had once seen at the pool hall, what did he say about it?

3. How many days did Manuel's drinking binge last before Rebecca and Manny went to try to get him to come home?

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

5. About how many people started running when the Immigration vans showed up at the pepper fields?

Short Essay Questions

1. What emotions did Nardo display while he watched the Mexican man pick peppers in the row next to his?

2. How did Mr. Hart give Manny $20 even though Manny had refused it?

3. Why did Manny travel to his school even though it is still summer?

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

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

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

7. 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)?

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

9. What is significant about how Rebecca behaved during the scene in which the police came into the Hernandez's home?

10. What is the significance of Manny's daydream about being on the baseball team and having people looking at him?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explain the treatment of the unconscious within the novel, in particular focusing on dreams and second sight. Why are these elements included by the author and what effect do they have on the reader's understanding of the novel's themes and messages? Use concrete details from the narrative to support your points.

Essay Topic 2

Write a feminist criticism essay of the novel, using textual evidence to back up your strong, specific claim regarding the treatment of gender roles in the book.

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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