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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. What symptom did Magda exhibit the night they got back from the hospital that made Rebecca wonder if they should take her back to the hospital?

2. After Manny slipped out of Grandma Rosa's wake, what kind of tree did he climb?

3. What action did Rebecca finally take when Manny kept insisting that they needed to take Magda back to the hospital?

4. What was NOT a reason that the administration at Manny's school gave for being unable to transfer him to Hawthorn School?

5. What did the Berets believe was the one purpose of white people?

Short Essay Questions

1. What made Chico want to back out of his scheduled boxing match at the last minute?

2. How does the way in which the hospital receptionist treated the Hernandez family highlight the theme of same-race discrimination?

3. Why was Manny so reluctant to let Nardo go into Grandma Rosa's house to fix them some Kool-Aid?

4. What did the argument between Magda and her mother Rebecca concerning Magda ruining her future show about Magda's character?

5. How did Manny feel about his physical appearance when he compared it with Nardo's?

6. What actions did Manuel take on the day Magda went to the hospital that were indicative of his usual tendency to take a hands-off approach to his family's problems?

7. Why did Manuel assume that Grandma Rosa's house would go to Rebecca and what were his plans for it when that happened?

8. Why was it so important to Miguel that Lencho win the boxing match against Boise?

9. What actions did Manny hope Rebecca would take in response to Manuel's abusive actions that resulted in his being jailed?

10. When the fight was not going well for Lencho and Miguel screamed at him to attack Boise, what reason did Manny give for wanting to scream at Miguel to shut his mouth?

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

Analyze the African-American newspaper man's decision not to tell the police that Manny was an accomplice in Eddie's robbery of the woman outside the bank. Why does he make that decision and how do you know? In terms of traditional Western morality, what his decision just? Back up your points with quotes from the robbery scene.

Essay Topic 3

Analyze the author's message regarding romantic love in the novel. State a clear and specific claim regarding this topic and support your claim using concrete details from the novel.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,573 words (approx. 6 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample