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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 do Peralta's Collegiate classmates make fun of him about that makes him very angry?

2. What had Maria done for a living in The Dominican Republic?

3. Which of the following high schools does Peralta apply to in Part II?

4. Who is Peralta's eighth-grade English teacher?

5. Who is one of the people taking care of Peralta and Yando when their mother is hospitalized in Part II?

Short Essay Questions

1. What differences does Peralta feel between his neighborhood in Harlem and the Upper West Side, where his private school is located?

2. What upsets Peralta during his early days at Prep?

3. How does Peralta first realize his family is poor?

4. What was Peralta's and his family's main holiday diversion during his childhood while they lived in the homeless shelter?

5. What does Peralta do on his flight to New York City as a small child that endears him to people?

6. Why does Peralta's mother tell him he needs to be prepared for something happening to her?

7. What does Peralta have to work on before he applies to Collegiate in Part II?

8. Why does one of Maria's friends think that Peralta might not be her son?

9. Why does Peralta's mother have a falling out with her family in Chapter 1?

10. Why do Peralta's parents go their separate ways in the early 1990s?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

When does Peralta first begin to understand the significance of his and his mother's lack of papeles, or immigration papers? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 2

Why does Peralta's father insist on moving back to the Dominican Republic, while his mother is so intent on staying in America? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 3

How does Peralta become so interested in books and literature, and what does education come to symbolize for him as he matures? Write an essay explaining your answers.

(see the answer keys)

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