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. Where does Andrew write in his letter that his brothers would meet?

2. Who tells Antonio the war is over?

3. What does Antonio question after he sees the golden carp?

4. What is Antonio driven to accomplish at school?

5. Who do Antonio's uncles communicate with?

Short Essay Questions

1. What was the significance of Blue Lake for Tony?

2. Describe the sights and sounds of harvest time in El Puerto.

3. What role does Ultima's owl play?

4. What is the significance of Antonio seeing his brothers in his dream?

5. What troubles Antonio once he awakes from his fever?

6. What questions of good and evil does Antonio wrestle with in Chapter 16?

7. What is Antonio's advantage of having his cubicle at the top of the stairs?

8. What is Antonio's father's dream now that his sons have returned home from war?

9. What did Narcisco do when he realized he would not be able to get to the Marez home to warn Ultima of Tenorio's revenge?

10. What is the significance of Ultima's blessing before Antonio leaves for school?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

As the reader watches Antonio mature, he undergoes several initiation rites. Explain what some of these initiation rites are in the novel. What is the most crucial test he must pass? Why is this test important?

Essay Topic 2

Antonio learns not only his Hispanic Catholic heritage but also his Native American heritage through Ultima. What Catholic icons, sacraments and beliefs are explored in the novel? What Native American traditions or symbols are discussed in Bless Me, Ultima? What are the similarities between the two?

Essay Topic 3

Similar to Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn, Bless Me, Ultima details childhood spoken in a child's narrative. What conflicts, insights or questions does Antonio contemplate which are similar for any six or seven year old? Do you believe Bless Me. Ultima could be an adult novel? Why or why not?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 943 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample