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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 happens when the teen thief runs away from the angel?

2. Why does Officer Armijo refuse to blow his nose?

3. In "Saturday," Chapter Six, why is Rafa struggling and being weighed down by the reading of shadows?

4. Who provided Rosalinda with the house?

5. The angel knows that the rope that was once in the well is now where?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

5. Why does Rufina wake up in a sweat on Saturday morning in Chapter One?

6. How does the Kid Thief act when spotted by Rafa and caught by Officer Armijo?

7. What does Rufina accuse the angel of pretending to be? How does the reader know she is correct?

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

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

10. What is the secret The Explorer has about himself?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Rosalinda's ancestral stories are very important to her, yet her memories soon began to fade and get jumbled. How does this support the theme of loss? In what other ways does Rosalinda lose? What does she also gain? How is this loss and gain important to Rosalinda and the story?

Essay Topic 2

The story begins with Rufina singing a melancholy song about a lost baby. Throughout the course of the book, what is learned about this lost baby? How does this loss affect Rufina? How does it affect the entire family? How does the entire situation surrounding this baby affect this family? How does this support themes of loss and resiliency?

Essay Topic 3

The mistreatment of Native Americans is an important part of this book. How is Rosalinda doubly mistreated? How is she affected by this? Regarding this prejudice, are you surprised by her interest and relationship with the Explorer? Why or why not?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 965 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample