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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. Which of the following does Izzy announce as her MC name?

2. With which of the following does Chapter Five begin?

3. Who hosts the first party of the summer, to which Bennie invites Sierra?

4. On which of the following avenues does Neville leave Sierra after returning from Columbia University?

5. With which of the following does Chapter Eleven begin?

Short Essay Questions

1. What reasons does Juan give for not having told Sierra about shadowshaping?

2. What reasons does Nydia note for helping Sierra in the archives?

3. What reason does Sierra note for finding it impressive that her grandfather could pause a domino game with his stories?

4. How is the first corpuscule Sierra encounters described upon reaching the first party of the summer?

5. How does the novel initially report the effects of Lázaro’s stroke upon him?

6. How does Sierra explain to Robbie already knowing who he is when they meet at the first party of the summer?

7. How is Bennie’s brother, Vincent, reported to have died, and when?

8. What outfit is Bennie wearing when she leaves to attend the first party of the summer?

9. How does Robbie describe making “soft eyes” (85)?

10. At what does Sierra look as the novel begins, and what does she note about it?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explicate the significance of the protagonist’s mother’s name: María Carmen Corona Santiago.

Essay Topic 2

Much is made in the novel of Sierra being of Puerto Rican descent. How might the novel change had she been depicted as of a different Hispanic background, such as Mexican, El Salvadorian, or Dominican? In effect, what in the novel requires that Sierra be Puerto Rican, and how does it oblige her depiction thus?

Essay Topic 3

Much is made in the novel of Robbie being of Haitian descent. What is the significance of him having such a background, as opposed to another from among the African Diaspora, and how is that significance manifested?

(see the answer keys)

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