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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 does Gabi ask to go to The Grind Effect with her and Martin?

2. What is Gabi disappointed about when she talks to Martin about going to The Grind Effect?

3. Where does Gabi's mother work?

4. What does Gabi receive in the mail the day after Christmas?

5. What does Gabi say to Georgina when Georgina tells Gabi her secret in March?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Gabi know that Beto is having a hard time with their father's death?

2. What does Gabi think of the experience of seeing Cindy give birth?

3. What effect does Gabi's brother's behavioral problems have on Gabi's mother?

4. What ends up happening between Georgina and Gabi after Georgina confides in Gabi about her big secret?

5. How does Gabi's Christmas with her family go?

6. What does Georgina tell Gabi in March that utterly shocks Gabi?

7. What does Gabi get in the mail the day after Christmas that she is excited about?

8. Why is Gabi upset about going to the poetry performance in January with Martin?

9. What happens between Martin and Gabi as Martin drops Gabi off at her house after their first trip to The Grind Effect in January?

10. What subject does Gabi struggle with at school and what does she do to try to fix the problem?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Poetry and literature are powerful influences on Gabi over the course of the novel. Specifically, she begins to realize that although some writers she likes have radically different racial and cultural backgrounds from her, she connects strongly with their ideas, themes and styles. Choose at least two writers Gabi mentions and write an essay exploring the writers' influences on Gabi's view of the world.

Essay Topic 2

Although Gabi loves her family fiercely, she dreams of leaving her hometown to attend college, which she is poised to do at the novel's end after being admitted to Berkeley. Write an essay analyzing the ways in which Gabi chooses to break with her family's traditions and expectations of her.

Essay Topic 3

Gabi sometimes feels as if her mother will not accept her as she is because she is overweight, but her friends Cindy, Sebastian, and her classmate Georgina also experience serious tensions with their families over the issue of acceptance. Choose one of Gabi's friends or classmates and write an essay comparing Gabi's problems with her own mother around unconditional love and acceptance to those of the character you have chosen, citing specific references to the text to support your answer.

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