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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 name of Eddie’s best friend from high school who has been murdered in the novel?

2. What pests inhabit Eddie’s apartment much to his chagrin in the novel?

3. What term is used as reference to U.S. citizens of Mexican descent?

4. In literature, what refers to the inherent incompatibility between the objectives of two or more characters or forces?

5. What does José give to the onion seller’s children in Chapter 4?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. What background information does the author establish regarding Eddie’s past and the people he has lost in Chapter 1?

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

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

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

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

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

9. Who does Eddie believe will have brighter futures as described in Chapter 1? Why?

10. How does Eddie feel about his job prospect in Chapter 2?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss Eddie’s brush with the police in Chapter 3. Why are the police called on Eddie while he is in north Fresno? What does he do upon facing this conflict? Is this a good decision? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the role of the military in the novel. What does joining the military mean for José? How does Eddie view the military and José’s stories of training? How do Eddie’s feelings about the military evolve in the course of the novel?

Essay Topic 3

Describe and analyze the character of Angel in the narrative. How long have Eddie and Angel known one another? What are Angel’s objectives with Eddie? Why does Angel not choose to avenge his friend’s death on his own?

(see the answer keys)

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