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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 was Reymundo's mother's second husband?

2. At school, Reymundo hung with Papo and Speedy, giving the impression that he was a ________________.

3. Reymundo and Papo hung out in the clubhouse of which gang?

4. What bad news did Reymundo get the day after he was beaten quite severely?

5. What beautiful girl did Reymundo meet at a party at Montrose Harbor?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did Reymundo rationalize his first killing spree and what gang accepted him after that?

2. Why did Flaco's Insane Spanish Cobras beat Papo and not Reymundo?

3. What did Reymundo learn that changed his mind about the Spanish Lords after his encounter with Snake?

4. What did Reymundo have to do in Imperial Gangsters territory as part of his initiation into the Latin Kings?

5. Describe the traumatic and dysfunctional beginning of Reymundo's life in Puerto Rico.

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

7. What was Reymundo's life like when he lived with Hector?

8. What was Reymundo's relationship with Morena and what did he think might destroy that relationship?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe the major settings for the novel. Why does Sanchez use the settings he does? What is the time period of the story? How important is the time period to the attitudes and issues of the characters?

Essay Topic 2

"My Bloody Life" is a coming of age story. What does that classification entail? Why does this book fit into this category? Explain.

Essay Topic 3

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.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,024 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample