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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 watched Pedi while Manny and Rebecca went to the pool hall to try and get Manuel to return home?

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

3. Where did Manny ask Mr. Hart to drop him off so as to avoid being seen by his neighbors or family members?

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

5. What does the Spanish word "perico" (51) mean?

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

3. What did Manuel do with the $20 he took from Manny's pocket?

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

5. 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?

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

7. What is the significance of Manuel's words to Manny after he snatched the $20l from Manny's pocket?

8. 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?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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

Essay Topic 2

Write a feminist criticism essay of the novel, using textual evidence to back up your strong, specific claim regarding the treatment of gender roles in the book.

Essay Topic 3

Many characters within the novel have conflicted feelings about race--their own and others'. Choose at least three scenes in which the author demonstrates the complicated nature of race relations and use quotes from the novel to support your claims about the novel's treatment of race.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,523 words (approx. 6 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample