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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 registered Reymundo in school and bought him school clothes?

2. How old was Reymundo when he had sex with the woman in #27?

3. Who still did not have sex with Reymundo in Chapter 21?

4. Which of the following did Reymundo NOT crave about the gang?

5. Which girl in school did Reymundo develop a crush on?

Short Essay Questions

1. What impact did Pedro's beatings of Reymundo have on Reymundo's life?

2. What did both Maria and Hector do to help Reymundo go to school and live a relatively normal life?

3. Why was the gang lifestyle so attractive to Reymundo?

4. What sleeping arrangements did Reymundo and China have at Maria's?

5. What was Reymundo's first experience with a gang war -- the one between the Spanish Cobras and the Spanish Lords?

6. Why did Speedy's own gang members beat him brutally for what Speedy did to Reymundo during a fight?

7. What did China share with Reymundo regarding her difficult home life?

8. Describe the incident where Pedro severely beats Reymundo who appeals to his mother -- who also beats him.

9. What is the premise of "My Bloody Life"?

10. Describe Reymundo's violent life after the family moved back to Puerto Rico.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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.

Essay Topic 2

Substance abuse seems to be an unnamed character in the book. How pervasive is the abuse? Why does it have such a prevalent place in the characters' lives? How does it affect the abusers? How does it affect those impacted by the abusers? Explain how an inanimate object or characteristic can be a character.

Essay Topic 3

Violence takes on an almost human persona in this book. What was the source of the violence? How pervasive was the violence among the gangs? What is this literary technique called? Cite examples that support this position.

(see the answer keys)

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