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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 did Papi once tell Yahaira about forfeiting a chess game?

2. What does Papi tell Yahaira the night before he dies?

3. What phrase does Yahaira keep repeating about her mother in Part II?

4. What is Yahaira's girlfriend's nickname?

5. What does Yahaira do at the Johnson's house while she waits for Dre to come home?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Yahaira feel about the Dominican Republic?

2. Why does Yahaira stop playing chess?

3. What is Dre's favorite activity?

4. Why was Yahaira so resentful towards Papi during the last summer he was in the Dominican Republic?

5. How does Mami handle the romantic relationship between Yahaira and Dre?

6. Why does Camino decide not to tell Tia about El Cero's veiled threats and actions?

7. Why does Tia raise Camino?

8. Why does Camino feel particularly protective of Carline in Part II?

9. What is the one humane memory Camino has of El Cero from the past?

10. Why is Camino so afraid of El Cero?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Why do you think Acevedo begins the novel with Camino's ruminations on mud? What does the mud of Camino's homeland symbolize? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 2

Why does Yahaira seem to understand Camino's pain and feelings of violation when El Cero attempts to assault her? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your answers.

Essay Topic 3

How do many of Mami's family members begin acting when word gets out that she has come into money from the settlement following Papi's death in the plane crash? How does Yahaira feel about these behaviors? Write an essay explaining your answers.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 711 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample