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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 does Cico tell Tony never to do in Chapter 11?

2. Why does Antonio prefer his uncle Pedro instead of his other uncles?

3. Why does Antonio's mother dream of Antonio becoming a priest?

4. What does the owl do when Antonio and Ultima walk together along the river?

5. In Chapter 2, who says to Antonio, "Bless me."

Short Essay Questions

1. What role does Ultima's owl play?

2. Why was the owl special to Antonio?

3. What are Antonio's brother's reaction to the war?

4. Describe the major event before school let out for the Christmas holidays.

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

6. Why is Sunday a polarizing day of the week for the Marez family?

7. What did Antonio's parents decide in Chapter 22 that Antonio would be doing the rest of the summer?

8. Describe the relationship between Antonio's mother (Maria) and father (Gabriel).

9. Describe the events which occurred when it was announced the war was over.

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The sun and the moon, the llano and the river play a role in Antonio's maturity. What other characteristics play a significant role in Antonio's development? What individuals play a significant role in Antonio's development? What would happen to Antonio is he did not have these characteristics or characters influencing him?

Essay Topic 2

Rudolfo Anaya centers Bless Me, Ultima around the central theme of tension. One example is the mneumonic tension between Antonio's parents, the sea versus the earth. What are other examples of tension throughout the novel? Examine the symbols of tension between good and evil.

Essay Topic 3

Bless Me, Ultima is set in the Southwest United States, more specifically New Mexico. The region was originally inhabited by ancient Nuevos Mexicanos, who populated the region between Central America and the Rio Grande river valley in the United States. How does this setting enrich the story? What would happen if the novel were situated elsewhere? If you could rewrite the novel, what location would the story take place? Why?

(see the answer keys)

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