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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. John's grandmother ended up helping his great great ________________.

2. Who is dramatically affected by the sauce which Tita has prepared?

3. What begins to shake when Tita is trying to mix up all of the cake ingredients?

4. The housekeeper from _________ brings her food, but it is bland and unfit for Tita.

5. What does Tita continue to do until Mama leaves the kitchen?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the occasion Tita is preparing the turkeys for?

2. What does Pedro do when he sees Tita sitting on the steps, covered in mole?

3. What does Gertrudis do on purpose so that Pedro overhears her conversation with Tita?

4. What does John ask Tita to do in order to answer the question of why she does not speak?

5. What are the guests' reactions after eating the wedding cake Tita has prepared?

6. What does Nacha tell Tita to do after her mother leaves the kitchen, even though her mother told her not to?

7. What do the rebels take from the ranch, which greatly upsets Tita as they were a part of her childhood?

8. Why is the pantry at the ranch suddenly severely depleted in its stock?

9. Why do Pedro and Tita's eyes meet for an eternity in the kitchen as she is cooking another meal?

10. What is the state of Tita when the doctor arrives to take her away per Mama's orders?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Food is obviously a strong part of this book and of the lives of the characters within the book.

Part 1: Why is food so important to the main family in this book?

Part 2: Why can't the characters relate without having food around?

Part 3: What might the food represent to the book as a whole?

Essay Topic 2

It seems to be the ritual of the food preparation that reaches the core of Tita.

Part 1: In what ways is Tita a better person when she cooks rather than when she is not cooking?

Part 2: Describe some of the rituals that Tita employs when she cooks for the others.

Part 3: Why does Tita need to have the ritual of cooking in her life? What does it provide for her?

Essay Topic 3

The idea of taking care of others seems to come up quite often in this story, with many characters relying on other characters, as well as characters being the nurturers.

Part 1: How does this story define the idea of nurturing? Does this definition seem to be realistic?

Part 2: Why does Tita feel so strongly about Rosaura's son? Why is she so attentive to him?

Part 3: Do you think nurturing can ever go too far? Why or why not?

(see the answer keys)

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