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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. Who wins the First Annual Tarzan Jumping Contest?

2. Who walks the best in the high heels?

3. Why will Cathy only be Esperanza’s friend until next Tuesday?

4. Darius believes that one cloud looks like __________?

5. Who does she warn Nenny and Esperanza to stay away from?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Esperanza try and convince her mother to allow her to eat in the canteen?

2. Why do the girls begin arguing?

3. Why doesn’t Esperanza want to dance?

4. Why does Esperanza want to eat in the canteen?

5. What happens in this vignette?

6. Who is Esperanza?

7. Why does Esperanza feel like a balloon tied to an anchor?

8. What do the girls believe hips are good for?

9. Why does she take a rice sandwich to school?

10. What is Marin, Esperanza’s neighbor, waiting for?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In many of the vignettes, Esperanza is spoken down to or mistreated because of how poor her family is and her Hispanic ethnicity. How does she respond to the condescension? Does she understand it is happening? If so, what actions of her are indicative of this?

Essay Topic 2

What is the effect of the short first-person vignettes, rather than longer chapters? Why do you think Cisneros chose this form over something more traditional? What other forms could it be compared to?

Essay Topic 3

Dramatic irony is when the reader understands that there is an ironic situation, but not the character. This occurs a lot when the narrator is young but the content observed by the narrator is mature. What are some examples of dramatic irony in The House on Mango Street?

(see the answer keys)

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