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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. Manny told Manuel that if he shot Rebecca, he would be thrown in jail. Manny asked Manuel to think of what would happen to Manuel's children then. Manuel replies that he only cares about one family member. Who is it?

2. What errand did Manny's mother send him to his school to accomplish even though it was still summer?

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

4. What reasons did Manny give for he and Nardo being slow at picking chili peppers?

5. When Stinky broke a bone in Manny's little finger, what lie did he tell his mother about how he got hurt?

Short Essay Questions

1. What did Nardo's grandmother mean when she said, "Es muy vivo" about Nardo?

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

3. What was the lost job that Nardo missed the most and why?

4. What happened to alert Rebecca that Manuel was angry with Manny and that that was the reason he would not leave the pool hall after spending Manny's $20 on alcohol?

5. 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?

6. Why did Manny travel to his school even though it is still summer?

7. Why did Mr. Hart take a roundabout way when he took Manny home?

8. How does the theme of "otherness" emerge within the aftermath of the Immigration officers' removal of the illegal immigrants from the field?

9. How is the theme of racism demonstrated within the scene when Manny asks the secretary for his transcripts?

10. Why was Manuel immediately furious when he saw Manny get out of Mr. Hart's car?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

William Faulkner once famously claimed that the most important literature deals with the subject of the human heart in conflict with itself. Explain how the theme of Human versus Self is demonstrated within the robbery scene near the end of the novel. Create a decisive, arguable claim and prove it with quotes from the book.

Essay Topic 2

Compare and contrast Manny Hernandez, the protagonist of Parrot in the Oven: Mi Vida, to Holden, the protagonist of The Catcher in the Rye. Which of the the messages sent by Victor Martinez and J.D. Salinger are the same and how do those messages differ? Provide concrete details from both novels in order to support your claims.

Essay Topic 3

What do housework, cleaning, and chores symbolize within the novel? Support your claim with concrete details from the narrative.

(see the answer keys)

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