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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 is the teen excited about being able to afford, now that he has the duo's money?

2. Why did a young teen beat up Rafa?

3. On what did Rufina and Rafa place bets after the Explorer moved in?

4. Was the Explorer ever officially invited into the family’s home?

5. Rufina says that she may pretend her baby is alive, but the angel does what?

Short Essay Questions

1. What are the signs that Rufina is struggling to perform for the crowd? Why is she struggling?

2. How do the two Grandmothers to All react when they notice the pain felt by Rafa, Rufina, Officer Armijo, and the Kid Thief?

3. What does Rufina do in response to not finding her mother or baby?

4. In "Saturday," Chapter Four, the husband and wife tourists have returned. About what do they argue?

5. What is the experience of the couple that are on holiday on Saturday?

6. Who are the townspeople in "Saturday," Chapter Two that the narrator describes?

7. What does Rafa do, when Rufina is unable to perform on Saturday?

8. Why does anxiety soon set in for Rufina on Saturday morning?

9. What is the ride home like for the siblings in Lucio Armijo’s squad car?

10. In "Saturday," Chapter Two, on what do the siblings focus while they are performing in the town square?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The Explorer is a drunk and is attracted to Rufina, even though he knows it to be wrong. How does this behavior reflect his relationship with his mother? How does his relationship with his mother compare to that of the relationships between Rosalinda and her children?

Essay Topic 2

Lucio forever regrets not being able to save Rufina from the Explorer. How is this seen in his day to day life? How does the end of the book allow him to redeem himself? What might this mean for his future?

Essay Topic 3

The Explorer used the two children, Rufina and Rafa, as street performers to get money from the tourists. What else is learned about the Explorer? What is his role in this story? How has his presence in this family affected them? Would the family have been better off is he had never come along? Why or why not?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,099 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample