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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. Who is Juan?

2. After the fire, which of the Ortega family relatives comes to visit?

3. When Ramona is weighing her options, who explains her options?

4. Esperanza finally opens her birthday gifts. From whom is the porcelain doll?

5. What does Mama do for the child who interrupted Esperanza's playing on the train?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the substance of the lecture Mama offers Esperanza when she realizes Alfonso and Hortensia hear Esperanza whining?

2. What disappointment does MIguel face on his first day at the camp in California?

3. What has Papa said about Tio Luis and Tio Marco that suggest that they are not men he admires?

4. In what way is the ruined rose garden a symbol?

5. When Esperanza and her mother approach the immigration counter, how does Mama manage to display her dignity?

6. In addition to Esperanza's father's death, what else is awful about the way in which Esperanza wakes on on her birthday?

7. Esperanza meets Marta, a girl they pick up in the truck, who is friendly with Isabel. How is Marta's reaction to Esperanza different from the treatment she had from Isabel?

8. How does Alfonso show his affection and respect for Ramona (Mama) Ortega when they arrive in California?

9. What do the "line up" of dolls in Esperanza's room represent?

10. How does the train ride Esperanza takes with her mother and Miguel's family compare or contrast with the previous train trip that Esperanza and Miguel took together with her father?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In Esperanza Rising there are numerous references to religion, praying, and engaging "spirits" of dead people in conversations or decisions. Discuss the role spirituality plays in the lives of the characters of Esperanza Rising.

Essay Topic 2

The Pura Belpré Award, established in 1996, is presented to a Latino/Latina author or illustrator whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth. Esperanza Rising received this award. Explain why this work deserves this award. In other words, evaluate the work in terms of the criteria for the award.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the theme of perseverance in Esperanza Rising.

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