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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. Why did Rebecca keep looking back over her shoulder when she was taking Manny home from the pool hall?

2. Where was Manny's $20 located when Manuel took it from him?

3. What did the Garcia brothers have in their hands when they were chasing the dog?

4. When Manuel was trying to shoot Rebecca, what alerted Manny to the fact that the police had arrived?

5. When Manny described a fight he had once seen at the pool hall, what did he say about it?

Short Essay Questions

1. 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)?

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

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

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

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

6. What was the main reason Nardo was reluctant to work in the fields?

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

8. What parallel did Manny draw between his grandfather Ignacio's personality and his own personality?

9. What details does Manny reveal to the reader about his teacher Mr. Hart?

10. 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?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Analyze the interplay between the climax of the novel and the resolution of the novel. How does the author employ them and how does their juxtaposition help him get across the main message of the novel? Use quotes from the narrative to prove your claim.

Essay Topic 2

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 3

Victor Martinez cites one of his main literary influences as the poet William Carlos Williams, who is famous for his philosophy of literature that states, “There are no ideas but in things” (216). Discuss the meaning of this literary philosophy and explain how Parrot in the Oven displays its use. Use textual details to support your discussion.

(see the answer keys)

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