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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 is the name of Christine's hiding place?

2. What is the shared name of all three of Carmelita's brothers?

3. What is the phrase that Mama uses to let everyone know everything is going fine?

4. What is Katrin's punishment for her F?

5. Where does the family move when they left the Castro Street house?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Carmelita help Katrin for the writing contest?

2. Why does Katrin enter the writing contest?

3. What does Uncle Chris do to make his living?

4. What is unusual about the way that Uncle Chris spends his money?

5. Why does Katrin volunteer to bring something to the reception at school?

6. How does Mama save the day at the reception?

7. How does the family feel about how Uncle Chris spends his money?

8. What is the purpose of The Little Bank?

9. How does Mama's Bank Account make the children feel?

10. Why does Papa want to buy the chicken ranch?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

There is an old saying "hindsight is 20/20" meaning that looking back, people can always see clearly and probably avoid many mistakes in life. Discuss two or three instances from the novel where a character could have changed his or her actions if he or she would have seen the outcome beforehand, and explain how the actions would have changed and why.

Essay Topic 2

The concept of savings accounts and banks are important throughout the book. Although the book is called "Mama's Bank Account" the family rarely mentions either account. Compare and contrast Mama's Bank Account and The Little Bank and explain why the author does not mention the accounts very much, but chooses to title the book after one of them.

Essay Topic 3

How are Katrin's school friends similar to the aunts? What changes do each group go through during the novel to make them good and/or evil?

(see the answer keys)

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