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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What reasons did Manny give for he and Nardo being slow at picking chili peppers?
(a) Nardo kept stopping to watch the girls at the weighing area, and Manny kept stopping to watch the other pickers' quickness.
(b) They had not yet learned the proper techniques of picking peppers.
(c) They were unaccustomed to the heat of the day, so sweat kept running in their eyes and blinding them.
(d) Their row was too low to the ground, so they had to squat uncomfortably in order to pick the peppers.

2. What does the Spanish word "perico" (51) mean?
(a) Oven.
(b) Parrot.
(c) Ocean.
(d) Mimic.

3. After Rebecca took Manny out of the pool hall, what did Manny see his father doing when he looked through the window at him?
(a) He saw him lean forward on the stool and rub his chin.
(b) He saw him head to the men's room.
(c) He saw him smash a glass on the floor.
(d) He saw him crying.

4. What two activities most often occurred at the Big Lawn?
(a) Soccer and football.
(b) Badminton and bocce ball.
(c) Baseball and softball.
(d) Baseball and football.

5. How did Manny's father lose his job as a translator for the city?
(a) He was laid off due to governmental cutbacks.
(b) He called in sick too many times.
(c) He drank beer during lunch and came back to work slurring his words.
(d) He quit because of unfair pay.

6. When he watches the way that the Mexican man in the next row over moves gracefully and efficiently while picking peppers, at what job did Manny say the man would excel?
(a) Shortstop.
(b) Conductor.
(c) Engineer.
(d) Ballerina.

7. Though kids were not allowed at the pool hall, where was Manny sometimes allowed to sit in order to wait for his dad?
(a) At a picnic table just outside the front doors.
(b) In the men's room.
(c) In the kitchen next to the dishwasher.
(d) On a stool at the far end of the bar.

8. What object did Manuel hit his own head with when he was trying to show Manny how fed up he was with Rebecca?
(a) A rifle.
(b) A bottle of pills.
(c) A liquor bottle.
(d) A ruler.

9. In contrast to Manny's father's method of worrying aloud, Manny said his mother was more quiet and would take which two actions while she worried?
(a) She would bite her nails and look at the sky.
(b) She would lie down on the couch and refuse to move.
(c) She would glare at Manny's father and tap her foot.
(d) She would give the family the silent treatment and throw herself into housework.

10. Who tried to buy Manuel a drink after Rebecca found Manuel's hiding place?
(a) Mr. Hart.
(b) Manny.
(c) Mr. Sanchez.
(d) Sophie.

11. What special talent did Nardo's grandmother claim that he had?
(a) A sixth sense for seeing trouble coming.
(b) An ability to use any ingredients to make a superb meal.
(c) A marvelous work ethic.
(d) A knack for getting people to like him.

12. How did Nardo end up as the victor in the fight over the sacks of peppers in the row next to his?
(a) He said he had been working closest to that row, so he deserved the spoils.
(b) He grabbed them before anyone else, so he said he had solidified his rights to their contents.
(c) He was stronger than the two men who challenged him, so he won the short shoving contest.
(d) He was the only one who knew how to undo the complex knots tied at the top of the sacks.

13. What had the Garcia brothers done to make Manny's father so mad at them?
(a) They had keyed Manny's father's car.
(b) They had broken the new croquet set Manny's father had purchased for the neighborhood's use.
(c) They had teased Manny's little sister Pedi and had made her cry.
(d) They had trampled the flowers that Manny's mother had planted in their yard.

14. Once the Immigration officers had departed with their prisoners, what did everyone left claim they had done to help the Mexican people?
(a) They claimed that they had told the people to run when they saw the first van.
(b) They claimed that they had told them to bribe the Immigration officers.
(c) They claimed that they had warned the Mexicans earlier in the day that there was a possibility of a raid.
(d) They claimed that they had encouraged the Mexicans not to run.

15. What did Manuel do when Mr. Hart moved to shake his hand?
(a) He shook his hand and greeted him warmly.
(b) He ignored Mr. Hart's hand.
(c) He motioned that his hands were dirty from picking mint.
(d) He turned his back on Mr. Hart.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who was left in the house when Manuel finally came home from his drinking binge?

2. What did Manny mean when he said, "I was of my grandpa Ignacio's line of useful blood?" (6)

3. How many days did Manuel's drinking binge last before Rebecca and Manny went to try to get him to come home?

4. After Mr. Hart left, Manny felt how angry Manuel was and he wanted to run away. What prevented him from running away?

5. What simile did Manny use on page 39 to describe the tie that Mr. Hart always wore?

(see the answer keys)

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