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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. Why does Esperanza believe that life is easier for Nenny?

2. Where does she meet him?

3. What does she tell the school about her blue marks on her body?

4. What does Aunt Lupe tell Esperanza to do?

5. Who meets Geraldo?

Short Essay Questions

1. One of the aunts tells Esperanza that she will always be Mango Street. What did she mean by this?

2. How does the phrase “no speak English” take on two meanings at the end of this vignette?

3. Why does Esperanza believe Mamacita is sad?

4. What is Sally’s relationship like with her parents?

5. Why is Esperanza’s Aunt Lupe an important person to her?

6. Why does Esperanza say she’ll allow “bums in the attic”?

7. Why can’t Esperanza, her mother, and other neighbors and kids agree on what Earl’s “wife” looks like?

8. Why does Esperanza feel a special kinship with the trees outside her window?

9. Why did Marin stay with him in the emergency room?

10. Who is Geraldo?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Esperanza is dissatisfied with her life, or at least her living situation. Why is she dissatisfied? What does she want? And, will she or won’t she most likely succeed?

Essay Topic 2

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 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)

This section contains 736 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample