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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. Eddie’s cousin was murdered by a stranger after making a comment about the stranger’s what?

2. The girl who calls Eddie in Chapter 3 invites him to come to her house to do what?

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

4. When he is given a special task by Mr. Stiles in Chapter 2, Eddie is overjoyed that Mr. Stiles trusts him to borrow what?

5. What term refers to mental diversion by means of entertainment or recreation?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does José represent symbolically to Eddie in the narrative?

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

3. What does Eddie take to Mr. Stiles’s home in Chapter 3?

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

5. Where do Eddie and José go to eat in Chapter 4? Who do they encounter there?

6. Who is Angel? How is he described in Chapter 1?

7. How does Eddie respond to the news about Jesús’s murder in Chapter 4?

8. Who do Eddie’s aunt and mother try to get him to date in Chapter 3?

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

10. Where does Eddie work in Chapter 1? How is this neighborhood described?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss Eddie’s godmother in the narrative. What does the incident with Queenie reveal about Eddie's true nature? How does Eddie’s relationship with his godmother differ from his relationship with his mother or Aunt Delores?

Essay Topic 2

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?

Essay Topic 3

Describe and analyze the character of Coach in the narrative. How old is Coach? How long has Eddie known him? Why does Eddie trust Coach in telling him about the stolen truck? What does Coach represent symbolically to Eddie?

(see the answer keys)

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