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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 did Mrs. Scalapino teach?

2. Who is the most kind to Francisco in Soledad?

3. What did Francisco love most about the first farm?

4. What did Francisco like to do during recess?

5. How did Francisco learn that Miguelito moved?

Short Essay Questions

1. What did Francisco give Curtis at the end of the school year, and why?

2. What did Mama get for Christmas, and why was this so special?

3. Where did Francisco get the bag of candy at the beginning of the book?

4. What did Mama's Christmas gift symbolize to Francisco and why?

5. What caused Curtis to get angry with Francisco?

6. What did Francisco love the most about the first farm his family was at?

7. What did Mama do for the children at Christmas time after leaving Corcoran?

8. What did Mama do to make money in the Tent City?

9. What was in the special jar at the end of the school year?

10. What did Francisco try to save after the flood, and how?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What happened to El Perico, and what affect did this have on Francisco's life?

Essay Topic 2

What did Mama's Christmas gift symbolize to Francisco and why?

Essay Topic 3

Why was the ending so surprising, and what message do you think the author was trying to send by ending his narrative so abruptly?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 574 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample