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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. Where does Tia hold a private prayer for Papi?

2. How did Papi help Carline?

3. What is something no one knows and probably would not believe, according to Yahaira?

4. Who is Camino's best friend?

5. Where did Papi sometimes take Yahaira to play chess when she was a child?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Yahaira stop playing chess?

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

3. What is the only thing about Dre that gets on Yahaira's nerves?

4. What is Papi's reaction when Camino tells him she wants to be a doctor and to study at Columbia University?

5. When is the first time Yahaira wonders if Mami knows Papi's secret about having another wife?

6. What is Dre's favorite activity?

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

8. What does El Cero tell Camino about what she supposedly owes him in Part II?

9. Who comforts Yahaira when many family members are over the house to sympathize with Yahaira and Mami, and how does Yahaira think this person feels?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Why does Yahaira find it difficult to be at Dre's house right after Papi's death, and how does she handle these uncomfortable feelings? Write an essay explaining your answers.

Essay Topic 2

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 3

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.

(see the answer keys)

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