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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. What does Moraga call the groveling before the family matriarch?

2. What is it called when an author writes in two languages?

3. In "The Pilgrimage" a woman recalls her mother telling her that women would crawl into _______________.

4. Moraga belongs to both the feminist and _____________ movements.

5. In "The Slow Dance" Moraga's mother explained ______________ in terms of dancing posture.

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is writing in both English and Spanish a form of rebellion for Moraga?

2. What is Moraga's message in "An Open Invitation to a Meal?"

3. To what does Moraga compare the sensation of falling in "The Voices of the Fallers?"

4. What pressure did Moraga's family put on her and what did she learn about docile obedience?

5. What does Moraga learn about her parents' relationship in "The Slow Dance"?

6. In "Passage", to what is Moraga referring when she says something of hers has always belonged to other people?

7. What example does Moraga give about how she, herself, is guilty of oppressive behavior?

8. What does a girl named Cecilia learn in "Later, She Met Joyce?"

9. In what situation do Moraga and another woman not need the help of men in "Modern-Day Hero?"

10. What important lesson does Moraga learn about oppression and marginalization when it hits close to home?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The author uses more than one theme in the book related to culture and lesbianism. Identify at least two themes in the poems and essays and then cite an example to support each theme you name.

Essay Topic 2

Oppression seems to be an unnamed character in the book. How pervasive is oppression according to Moraga? Explain how an inanimate object or characteristic can be a character.

Essay Topic 3

The theme of struggling with personal identity is an important one in this novel. Describe how it extends through setting, character and issues and provide examples for each.

(see the answer keys)

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