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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 blames Eddie for what happened to José in Chapter 4?

2. What inexpensive food does Eddie typically live off of in the novel?

3. What item does Eddie spot and take with him while running an errand for Mr. Stiles in Chapter 2?

4. How old is Eddie in Chapter 1?

5. Chapter 2 ends with Eddie saying that the "east was one large bruise that was slowly becoming” what?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Angel visit Eddie in Chapter 3? How does Eddie respond?

2. What leads to Eddie’s encounter with the police in Chapter 3?

3. Who is the protagonist of the book? How is his objective defined in Chapter 1?

4. What additional item does Eddie’s aunt bring him with tortillas in Chapter 2? Why?

5. What does Eddie’s job entail generally? Who greets him when he arrives home from work in Chapter 1?

6. What does the author establish through the exposition in Chapter 1?

7. What information about Jesús’s murder does Eddie learn in the beginning of Chapter 4?

8. How is the Spanish term “barrio” defined and described in Chapter 1?

9. What does Eddie’s aunt bring him daily in Chapter 1? Why?

10. What causes Eddie’s sense of fear in Chapter 1?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe and analyze the setting of Holmes playground in the novel. Where in the barrio is this setting located? Who are the regular “characters” in the setting? What does Samuel represent symbolically? What is Samuel’s relationship to Eddie?

Essay Topic 2

Describe and discuss the motif of onions in Buried Onions. When are they first mentioned by the narrator? How do onions play into the description of the setting in the barrio? What is represented by the onion seller in the novel?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the objectives and actions of Eddie in the novel. What does Eddie want as a character? What actions does he take in order to gain those objectives? Is Eddie successful in achieving his objectives? Why or why not?

(see the answer keys)

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