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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 is Maricela told will help her in tea?

2. What happens if Nora and Mr. Myles are absent a few days?

3. What is the result of the rainstorm?

4. What does Royce do in exchange for food?

5. What does Sae Young purchase to help in Sam’s contest?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Curtis trying to show through the growth of the tomatoes?

2. Explain Sae Young’s life prior to her “accident”?

3. What brings Sae Young back out into the world, and why?

4. Describe Curtis, as he is now, in terms of his priorities.

5. Why does Maricela resent being pregnant?

6. How does Amir compare the U.S. to India?

7. Describe what happened to make Sae Young afraid of the world.

8. Why does Virgil eventually feel pity for his father?

9. Explain what Curtis does to thwart off the thieves.

10. What happens to the lettuce in the chapter “Virgil”?

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

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?

Essay Topic 3

Suspicion of others is a major theme in the novel, as there are many who are suspicious of their neighbors in this particular area. How does the garden help these individuals to lower their guard with one another? What is the garden able to do that merely living together does not do?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 733 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample