View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who does Tito Maning say Lapu-Lapu killed with a spear through the face in “That Last Part Aloud”?

2. Where are Tita Baby and her family said to live in "Let's Do It"?

3. Who painted Spolarium?

4. What volcanic mountain perches on the horizon of Lolo and Lola's village?

5. What poem is described as a typhoon in the ending of "This Poem is a Typhoon"?

Short Essay Questions

1. Where does Jay find Jun's letters in “Bravery as if it Were my Own"? What does this reveal?

2. How is Reyna's home described in “A Universe Where People Do Not Die for Doing the Right Thing"?

3. What causes Jay guilt in relation to Jun and Jun's death?

4. Where do Jay's aunts take him in “To Flood"? How is this setting described?

5. Where are Jay and Tito Maning when Jay confronts his uncle about Jun's death in “That Last Part Aloud"? Why is this significant?

6. When was Reyna separated from her family? How and why did this happen?

7. How and when did Jun leave Reyna?

8. What does Jay discover about Grace in “Another Day in the Minefield"?

9. Who does Maning regard as the greatest of Filipino leaders? Why is this significant?

10. What do the vehicles in the ravine symbolize in “Go Back to Sleep"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the theme of coming-of-age in Patron Saints of Nothing. In what ways does Jay grow as a character throughout his journey? How do his experiences in the Philippines change his perspective of the world? How is this theme reflected in Jay's conversation with his father at the end of the novel?

Essay Topic 2

Describe and discuss the plot structure of Patron Saints of Nothing. What is the inciting incident in this story? Where does the climax occur? What information is related to the reader in the falling action and denouement?

Essay Topic 3

Analyze and discuss the character of Grace in Patron Saints of Nothing. What is Grace's relationship to Jay? How does their relationship evolve in the course of the narrative? What are Grace's objectives in the novel? Does she achieve those objectives?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 768 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample