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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. Why will Gabi not tell Eric the truth about her father?

2. What is one of Gabi's favorite ice cream flavors?

3. Who is the spoken word poet Ms. Abernard invites to Gabi's poetry class?

4. Who tells everyone at school that Cindy is pregnant?

5. What is Gabi's hometown?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Cindy react when Gabi asks her what it felt like to have sex?

2. What does Gabi's poem that she writes about her grandmother and shares in class in November reveal about her grandmother?

3. Why is Beto so upset with his father right after Thanksgiving and what does he tell Gabi about his feelings?

4. Why does Gabi decide not to tell Eric, her new boyfriend, about what is going on with her father's struggle with addiction?

5. How is Gabi worried that her mother's pregnancy will affect her own future?

6. What is the main reason that Tia Bertha moves in with the Hernandez family as Gabi starts the school year?

7. Where does Gabi most want to go to college as she sends her applications out?

8. What does Gabi hide in various places around her room that she refers to as her stash?

9. Why does Gabi think her own mother should have more sympathy for Cindy after Cindy finds out she is pregnant?

10. Who is Gabi named after?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay exploring how Gabi feels about her light skin color and how it relates to her perceptions of her own heritage, using specific examples from the text to support your answer.

Essay Topic 2

One of Gabi's most significant conflicts with her mother centers around what she sees as her mother's hypocrisy and double standards on the topics of abstinence and cultural expectations for girls and women. Write an essay analyzing Gabi's conflicts with her mother on these issues.

Essay Topic 3

Considering all the adversity that Gabi has had to deal with in her young life - especially her father's years of drug addiction and eventual death - do you think she will be able to go on to succeed in college and achieve her dream of becoming a writer? Write an essay explaining why or why not, citing specific references to the text.

(see the answer keys)

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