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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 among the tortillas brought to Eddie by his aunt in Chapter 2?

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

3. What had Eddie returned to City College to do in Chapter 3?

4. What local gangster solicits Eddie to help him avenge Eddie’s cousin’s death in Chapter 1?

5. What is the name of Eddie’s aunt who brings him tortillas every day in Chapter 1?

Short Essay Questions

1. What do Eddie and José find when they stop to pick up onions after eating in Chapter 4?

2. Who has stolen the truck in Chapter 2? What is Eddie’s response to the situation?

3. Who calls Eddie at the end of Chapter 3? Why?

4. What errand does Mr. Stiles ask Eddie to do in Chapter 2?

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

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

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

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the character of Aunt Delores in the novel. How close is Eddie to his aunt? Where does Delores live? What objective does Delores have in bringing Eddie tortillas? Do you think this makes her a likable character? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

Describe and analyze the narrative voice of the novel and its protagonist. In what person and tense is the story told? Who narrates? Is this point-of-view a limited or an omniscient one?

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

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