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. How long did Luis's father's new job last?

2. What happens to Luis's family after the police come to their home in the beginning of the book?

3. What did Luis's mother buy him in the memory at the beginning of the book?

4. Who ends up painting a mural on the concession stand that is the scene of a gang incident?

5. Who loses an eye in the gang shooting?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Luis describe his high school?

2. What do Luis and Rano do with their money they earn?

3. What happens when the gang goes to a "real beach?"

4. Why did Luis break his toys at Christmas?

5. Explain how Yuk-Yuk and Luis differ on their feelings about stealing and killing.

6. How does graffiti show a rift within the gang?

7. Who are "Thee Impersonations"?

8. What happens when the students at Luis's father's school can't understand his accent?

9. Why did Rano pick on his brother?

10. What was Luis's family's neighborhood and house like in Los Angeles?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Beyond a feeling of belonging, why is the pull of the gang for Luis so strong that even a woman's influence cannot change his mind?

Essay Topic 2

Compare and contrast the Neighborhood Youth Corps with a gang. In what ways are they alike? Different?

Essay Topic 3

Describe how Luis's father's struggle to maintain a job causes the family to move to L.A. and how the job situation is once he gets there.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 575 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample