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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 narrator's name?

2. What is mole?

3. Why does Celaya's grandmother say Celaya could not appreciate a silk rebozo?

4. The Awful Grandmother's mother was able to create _____________ like no one else could.

5. Who was Narciso's mother?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What kindness does the Grandfather show Celaya when the Grandmother ridicules her for not eating the mole?

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

4. Why does the family rely on little white lies?

5. Describe Narciso Reyes.

6. What is a rebozo and what value does it have in Mexican culture?

7. Why is Candelaria removed from the Reyes home?

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

9. How was Senora Regina both kind and cruel to Soledad?

10. Who is Antonieta Araceli and how do the cousins upset her?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

CARAMELO is a classic story of a family's efforts to preserve the past and secure heritage through stories and customs. What does that classification entail? Why does Cisneros' work in this book fit into this category? Explain.

Essay Topic 2

Explain Cisneros' use of regionalism in the book. Cite examples of at least two different instances of regionalism and explain why the author used them where she did.

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,189 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample