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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 did Miss Van der Meer do when she realized Manny did not understand her literary reference to Hotspur?

2. What did Manny use to keep Pedi occupied while he was watching her during Magda's date with her secret boyfriend?

3. Why was Chico in the locker room when Manny brought in Albert with his bloody nose?

4. What high school were the white students bussed in from in order to attend Manny's school?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. 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?

2. Why is it ironic for Lencho to be kicked out of the Berets after losing his boxing match to Boise?

3. Manny relates that his maternal grandfather died a few years back. What was his grandfather's health like before he died?

4. 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?

5. How does Miss Van der Meer's classroom represent the theme of racial inequality?

6. Why was Manny particularly concerned about his parents finding out about Nardo getting drunk and sneaking back into the house?

7. How did the various family members act differently from one another at the wake for Grandma Rosa that was held after the funeral?

8. When Manny dreamt of Grandma Rosa the night before her funeral, what happened within his dream and how did he react once he woke up?

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

10. Who were the Berets?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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.

Essay Topic 2

Describe the effect of alcoholism on the health of the Hernandez family. What conflicts are a direct result of alcohol abuse and what is the author's subsequent message regarding alcoholism and its effect on families? Support your points with concrete details from the novel.

Essay Topic 3

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.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,570 words (approx. 6 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample