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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. Who conducts the ceremony meant to help Bodega win Vera back?

2. What is Sapo's real name?

3. Whose body is found in the East River at the end of Part II?

4. Why does no one mess with Sapo?

5. What magazine does Sapo read in Bodega's office while Julio talks to Nazario?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Part II, why has Negra stabbed her husband Victor?

2. What does Julio think about general relationships between Puerto Ricans and Cubans?

3. Why does Julio love Sapo from the first time they meet?

4. Why does Bodega think Vera will want to get back together with him?

5. Why does Blanca ask Julio if he knows any men who want to get married?

6. What game do Sapo and Julio play with kites as teenagers?

7. Why does Julio go to see Blanca's sister Negra?

8. How does real estate ownership fit into Bodega's plans?

9. Who does Blanca tell Julio that her Aunt Veronica married?

10. What does Julio say death means if you are a good graffiti artist in Spanish Harlem?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Why do you think Sapo is so desperate for Julio to acknowledge their childhood and teenage memories together at the very end of the novel? Why do you think Nazario assumes Sapo will be the one to inherit Bodega's powerful perch as the neighborhood drug dealer and benefactor? Write an essay explaining your answers.

Essay Topic 2

What is Bodega's greatest fear about meeting Vera? What does he most fervently wish for Vera to think about him when she sees him for the first time after decades? Write an essay explaining your answers.

Essay Topic 3

Why does Willie Bodega refuse to let most people in Spanish Harlem know what he looks like? Why does Bodega think that anonymity lends him more power, ultimately? Write an essay explaining your answers.

(see the answer keys)

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