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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 does Kim hope will happen in the photo at the beginning of the book?

2. What did Kim’s father do for a living?

3. What type of neighborhood is Ana’s?

4. Where is Kim living?

5. What does Leona take with her to see the city?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

5. How does gardening help Tio Juan in the chapter “Gonzalo”?

6. How does Leona finally convince the city officials to meet with her?

7. What is the cultural problem Sam finds about the lot?

8. Why does Ana purchase binoculars at the end of the chapter titled “Ana”?

9. How do the plants give Wendell hope?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In the novel, Sam makes a conscious effort to make the neighborhood friendlier. Choose three times in the novel where another character mentions Sam, and explain how his efforts have helped the community. Why do you think Sam tries to improve his neighborhood? Are his efforts successful?

Essay Topic 2

Going back through the characters, list the cultural heritage each comes from. How diverse is this neighborhood? Would the garden have been as amazing had the neighborhood been predominately white or Hispanic? Why or why not? How did the activities in the garden go from what Sam noted, a mirror of a segregated society, to what Amir noted, as a harvest feast among a cultural melting pot?

Essay Topic 3

Throughout the novel, the characters mention fighting a number of stereotypes. Choose three characters from the book, and explain how their lives have been impacted by the stereotypes either about them, held by others, or held by them about others. How do these stereotypes damage their relationships with others? What, if anything, changes them in the novel?

(see the answer keys)

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