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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. Which person in Carlos's church is the most adept at using a fan?

2. How old is Carlos in the anecdote with which chapter 1 opens?

3. Where was Fernando born?

4. What movie makes Carlos suddenly like the idea of kissing a woman?

5. Carlos notes in Chapter 1 that his Aunt Lucia had been what political figure in a previous life?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did Carlos's grandfather Amado die, and how old was he?

2. Summarize the contents of the Cuban history lesson the boys receive at the beginning of Chapter 4.

3. Who is Mel Blanc, and how does Carlos feel about him?

4. Where does Carlos see the Cuba-shaped clouds, and how does he feel about them?

5. Describe what Carlos sees at the dining room window in Chapter 6.

6. According to Chapter 22, with what are the boys sick and how do they handle it?

7. How does Carlos feel about the poster he made in fourth grade?

8. What happened to Carlos's great-great-grandmother Butrón-Múgicas?

9. Explain Carlos's third proof for the existence of God, as related in Chapter 11.

10. What happens when the police stop Fernando's car in Chapter 26?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Choose two symbols that signify unrelated concepts, and then, using your literary sensibilities, create some common ground between them based on the material you find in the book. Remember that symbols can carry many different levels of meaning and that you can espouse any position you are capable of defending.

Essay Topic 2

Compare and contrast the archetypal villains of the militia, Fidel, and Ernesto.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the irony inherent within the character El Loco as well as his role throughout the book. What does he symbolize? Why?

(see the answer keys)

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