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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. Which of Abelardo's family members does Dulce steal money and jewelry from?

2. Which book does Ignacio receive for his thirteenth birthday?

3. What animal are Ignacio and Blanca searching for in the swamp?

4. Which of the following is NOT an injury that Reina sustained in her accident?

5. As a child, who accompanies Reina to the funeral home after her mother's death?

Short Essay Questions

1. What answers does Ignacio finally give to the readers as to his motivations in killing Blanca and lying to his daughters?

2. Why is Renaldo Aguero well respected in his community?

3. What happens when Herberto decides to go fishing in Biscayne Bay?

4. How do Reina and Russ Hicks meet?

5. How does Constancia react to Reina's theories about their father killing their mother?

6. Why doesn't Herberto fight at the Bay of Pigs, and how does he feel afterward?

7. How does Blanca's mother die?

8. What happens to Dulce when she is fired from her job and becomes homeless?

9. What injuries does Reina sustain when she is hit by lightning?

10. How does Constancia Cruz feel about miracles?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Reina's view of love and sexuality was very strange in romantic relationships. Choose two romantic relationships Reina was a part of and compare/contrast them. What roles does Reina play in the relationships, and to whom does she choose to show affection? How?

Essay Topic 2

Constancia has an obsession with the need to stay youthful. Explain how youth becomes one of the driving forces in Constancia's life. Then, use Constancia's childhood at the pig farm to rationalize her desperate need to stay young and beautiful. Does she accomplish this in her lifetime? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

The curse of the Aguero sisters is hinted at throughout the text of the novel. Explain how the curse first reared its head with Constancia and Reina's grandmother, and then explain how the curse carried on through the generations of Aguero women. Finally, explain how the curse was finally broken by the Aguero sisters.

(see the answer keys)

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