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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. Where does Kim think someone might be sleeping?

2. What does Ana find when she digs something up?

3. What does Leona do that hurries things along with the city?

4. What does Leona do to force the city to see her?

5. What has Kim done to her own plants in the chapter “Wendell”?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Kim wonder about whether her father sees her?

2. What tragedies has Wendell experienced, and what are the effects on his life?

3. How does Sam try to make people in the neighborhood friendlier?

4. Why does Kim’s family keep a photo of their father at an alter?

5. Kim mentions crying for a different reason than her sisters. What does she mean by this?

6. How does the chapter “Wendell” begin to show that words are not necessary to bring cultures together?

7. What does Wendell mean when he discusses the phrase “And a little child shall lead them”?

8. At the end of this chapter “Sam,” why does Sam claim the garden is a reflection of Cleveland?

9. Why does Leona want to plant goldenrod?

10. Why do you think Ana attempts to correct her mistake?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Maricela’s story is a very powerful one in the novel. Describe Maricela’s life at the beginning of the novel. Why does she feel so persecuted? What does she hope for? Who changes this, and why? How does the garden help her to begin to accept her state, and her future?

Essay Topic 2

Briefly go through each of the characters in the novel, and explain how the garden helped to improve their lives, circumstances, or outlook on life. Be sure to include details of each story to show an understanding of how the garden affected the characters.

Essay Topic 3

What does the title mean? How is it used in the book? How are the pioneers of the garden “Seedfolks”? What did their efforts mean to the community? How did they enhance their environment?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 816 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample