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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Which memory causes Esmeralda to cry in "El Mangle"?
(a) The memory of Abuela's house.
(b) The memory of watching sunsets from the porch with her father.
(c) The memory of her old school.
(d) The memory of the flamboyan tree in the backyard.

2. What do the children use to block out the sound of the bar next door?
(a) Rags and toilet paper.
(b) Cotton.
(c) Papi's radio.
(d) Ear plugs.

3. What job does Mami start out working in New York?
(a) Dish washer.
(b) Restroom attendant.
(c) Thread cutter.
(d) Seam sewer.

4. What happens when Esmeralda walks home with Johannes?
(a) Johannes tries to kiss Esmeralda.
(b) Esmeralda falls in the creek.
(c) Johannes carries her things.
(d) Esmeralda slaps him.

5. From what does Papi fashion a private room for himself?
(a) A closet.
(b) A toolshed.
(c) Boards left over from his job.
(d) A sheet.

6. What title does Esmeralda's teacher in El Mangle refuse to respond to?
(a) "Ma'am".
(b) "Mrs.".
(c) "Senora".
(d) "Miss".

7. How is Uncle Chico different from Tata and Don Julio?
(a) Chico is on welfare.
(b) Chico drinks all day long, not just in the afternoon.
(c) Chico refuses to use profanity.
(d) Chico smokes more heavily.

8. Why do the children misbehave when Mami goes away?
(a) Esmeralda must work and cannot supervise the children.
(b) Esmeralda cannot muster the same authority as Mami.
(c) The children are rebelling against her absence.
(d) The children object to being watched by Dona Susana.

9. What does Tata warn Esmeralda to watch out for?
(a) Glass.
(b) Puddles.
(c) Pidgeons.
(d) Dogs.

10. What kind of math problem is Esmeralda called to the board to solve?
(a) Addition of percents.
(b) Multiplication.
(c) Subtraction of decimals.
(d) Addition of fractions.

11. Why wouldn't a mugger find money in Mami's purse?
(a) Mami never had enough money to carry cash.
(b) Mami carried money in a wallet in her skirt pocket.
(c) Mami always gave cash to the children to carry.
(d) Mami carried cash in her bra.

12. What type of business shares a wall with the family's new home in "Letters from New York"?
(a) A corner store.
(b) A restaurant.
(c) A bar.
(d) A liquor store.

13. What illness does Francisco die from?
(a) Appendicitis.
(b) HIV/AIDS.
(c) Meningitis.
(d) Cancer.

14. Who gives Esmeralda piano lessons?
(a) Don Raul.
(b) Don Pablo.
(c) Don Luis.
(d) Don Joaquin.

15. What meal do all the children agree on?
(a) Oatmeal.
(b) Arroz con pollo.
(c) Fried potatoes.
(d) Pork chops.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Papi do shortly after the family moves to New York without him?

2. Where is the room Esmeralda receives in "Dreams of a Better Life"?

3. How does Tata react to the news that Francisco has fallen ill?

4. What is wrong with the food Esmeralda eats on the plane to New York?

5. How many of their vocabulary words must the children use in to write their essays in "El Mangle"?

(see the answer keys)

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