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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. When the Awful Grandmother was a young girl, her family made ________________.

2. What is the Awful Grandmother's name?

3. What is Narciso's last name?

4. What topic does Zoila complain to Inocencio about?

5. Who is the helper of the Awful Grandmother who threatens to quit?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe Celaya's house and its furnishings.

2. Describe the childhood of the Awful Grandmother and what role rebozos played in her life.

3. Describe Mother's hysterical fit in the car in Acapulco.

4. How did Soledad find the man she would marry?

5. To what location did Celaya's family travel each year and why did they travel as a family?

6. How is the Grandmother conflicted by what she wants for her family and what she is physically able to provide?

7. Who are Celaya's father and two uncles and what type of business do they have in Chicago?

8. Describe the Awful Grandmother's life after her mother died.

9. What are the two criteria to determine a person's class?

10. Where does Inocencio take the family for a holiday, and who complicates the situation by inviting herself to go along?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explain the significance of the book's title--CARAMELO. Why did Cisneros choose this title? Is there an understood message in the title? Is there another title you can suggest that might be more appropriate?

Essay Topic 2

Describe the overall ethnic culture for the book. What influences does ethnicity have on Cisneros' novel? What is the time period of the story? How important is the time period to the attitudes and issues reflected in the work?

Essay Topic 3

Project into the future ten years and write a brief synopsis for Celaya's life. Be sure to include emotional states as well as physical characteristics, geographic locations, work, hobbies, socialization, etc.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,092 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample