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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. As Manny's father walked away from the car that would not start, what did Bobby and Stinky do to annoy him?
(a) Whistled at him.
(b) Threw gravel at him.
(c) Sprayed a hose in his direction.
(d) Yelled insults at him.

2. According to Manny, what did Mr. Hart's office smell like?
(a) Salty.
(b) Savory.
(c) Sweet.
(d) Peppery.

3. What metaphor did Manny use to describe what Manuel would feel like upon seeing Manny arrive home in a white, middle-class guy's car?
(a) "The worst acid I could have mixed into his drink" (45).
(b) "The worst acid I could have poured down his throat" (45).
(c) "The worst acid I could have poured into his stomach" (45).
(d) "The worst acid I could have swiped across his forehead" (45).

4. 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) Ballerina.
(b) Shortstop.
(c) Engineer.
(d) Conductor.

5. When Pedi was helping Manuel pick up the bullets he had dropped onto the ground, Manuel picked up a bullet as well. What did he do with it?
(a) He threw it in the trash can.
(b) He gave it to Pedi.
(c) He put it in his pocket.
(d) He gave it to Manuel.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why did Nardo get fired from his busboy job?

2. Though Manny described the houses in their project development as being not "pretty or stylish" (23) he said that sometimes they had one quality that made them beautiful. What was that one quality?

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

4. What caused Manny to curse while in the back seat of the car after the family had picked up Manny's father from the pool hall?

5. What item did Manny have his eye on that caused him to want to work in the fields to earn money?

Short Essay Questions

1. What emotions did Nardo display while he watched the Mexican man pick peppers in the row next to his?

2. What caused Rebecca to think that Manuel was somewhere in the pool hall even though Rico told her that Manuel had gone home?

3. What is ironic about Nardo being the one that "jeered at the [Immigration] officers" the loudest as the people were led away and put into vans?

4. How did Mr. Hart give Manny $20 even though Manny had refused it?

5. What effect does the simile have on the reader when Manny saw a van coming toward the fields and described it as "approaching like a dog sneaking up on a bush" (13)?

6. How does the theme of domestic violence arise sharply within the scene when Manuel returns from his two-day drinking binge?

7. What kind of relationship did Manny's father and mother have?

8. What is the significance of Manny's daydream about being on the baseball team and having people looking at him?

9. What did Manny mean when he said, "Miracles don't wait for doubters" (8) once Nardo had agreed to come work in the fields with him?

10. Why was it so uncomfortable for Manny to be within the weighing area where the chili peppers were weighed out for measuring how much each person would be paid?

(see the answer keys)

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