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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. Around Halloween, what meteor shower will be visible?

2. In Chapter 15, what is the date of a letter Mari writes to the president for a class assignment?

3. How is Tyler's mother helping his father in "Bad-Luck Farm"?

4. What else is in a box of clothes Sara gives Mari and her sisters?

5. In Mari's letter, when does she say that the president of Mexico speaks to the people?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Tyler tell Mari it is terrible at his house?

2. Why is Mari in the barn when Tyler comes out with his telescope?

3. What do Mari's father and Tio Armando do when Felipe is arrested?

4. Why does Tyler's family's farm not have a name?

5. What does Mari compare the swallows to when Tyler tells her they migrate to Mexico in the fall?

6. Who are Aunt Roxie and Uncle Tony, and why did Tyler spend a month with them in Boston?

7. Why did Mari's mother go back to Mexico alone, and how long has she been gone?

8. After Mr. Paquette's accident, why did Tyler's parents considering selling their farm?

9. Why does Grandma visit the Cruzes in their trailer in December?

10. Who attends Thanksgiving dinner in "Farm of Many Plots"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The Virgen de Guadalupe is the Mexican name for Mary, the mother of Jesus. Why does Mari write to her?

Essay Topic 2

Idioms are words that have a figurative, rather than a literal meaning. How does Alvarez use idioms in Return to Sender? Why are the idioms sometimes difficult to understand? Why do the idioms often require research to understand their meaning? Why are idioms especially difficult for Mari to understand?

Essay Topic 3

"La Golondrina" is a song Tyler hears Felipe playing on the Day of the Dead. What does the song symbolize?

(see the answer keys)

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