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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. How many cities make up Manila?

2. Between 1966 and 1985, how manay Filipino nurses are estimated to have migrated to the U.S.?

3. When did Ukeles accept a position as artist-in-residence at the New York City Department of Sanitation?

4. What percent of nurses in the U.S. are Filipina?

5. When did Garbes' parents migrate to the U.S.?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the Philippines greatest export?

2. Why were the Philippines named for the King of Spain?

3. What did Garbes write about mothering and what it taught children about their bodies and needs?

4. What does Garbes believe is the basis of our economic system?

5. What was it like for Garbes' parents when they emigrated from the Philippines?

6. What has having children taught Garbes about love being an action verb?

7. Why did Garbes' mother refuse the domestic worker her mother, Ima, had offered to send with her when she emigrated from the Philippines?

8. What story does Garbes tell to show how her mother is a natural-born caretaker?

9. How does Garbes believe children should be raised?

10. What did Lola Lily, Garbes' maternal grandmother, do to survive?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Garbes discusses literal and metaphoric homecomings. What does it mean to Garbes to come home? Why is a literal homecoming not possible? How and where does she hope to find a metaphoric homecoming?

Essay Topic 2

Mood is an element that evokes feelings in readers through the use of descriptive language. Mood is the overall feeling that readers have when reading a book. What is the overall mood of Essential Labor?

Essay Topic 3

In the 1500s, an explorer from Spain discovered the Philippines. How has the Philippines been colonized by first Spain and then the U.S.? How has colonialism affected the country and its people?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 900 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample