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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. To what does Esmeralda compare Abuela's palms in "Why Women Remain Jamona"?

2. To what does the narrator compare her family's first house?

3. Why won't Abuela make breakfast before Mass?

4. Mami was happier before they moved to Macun. Which city did she live in before the move?

5. What large object does Papi ask Esmeralda to bring him?

Short Essay Questions

1. Which feature does Abuela say Esmeralda shares with her father, and what does this feature supposedly indicate?

2. What does Esmeralda's family lose in the storm?

3. When Mami comes to get Esmeralda, how does Esmeralda feel about being left at Abuela's by Papi?

4. What does the family do when the heavy rains come in "Someone is Coming to Take Your Lap"?

5. How are the "experts" who speak on nutrition and hygiene received by the Puerto Rican women?

6. Why does Esmeralda have to take the children to Dona Ana's house at the beginning of "Mami Gets a Job"?

7. Explain how Esmeralda feels about the treatment of jibaros.

8. How does Esmeralda react when she learns how sausages are made?

9. Explain why Esmeralda feels she has been punished for choosing to work with her father instead of listening to her mother.

10. According to Papi, why do Americans speak Spanish so poorly?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss Santiago's experience of religion as a child. How does she convey this experience? What does Santiago's experience with religion say about the status of the Church in Puerto Rico? In what ways is Santiago's experience of religion typical or atypical? How does it compare to your preconceived notions of this culture?

Essay Topic 2

Analyze the presentation of gender and gender roles in the memoir. How does gender influence or determine behavior and social pressures? How are women treated differently from men? When does this difference in treatment arise in a girl's life? How does the perception of gender vary based on Esmeralda's location in the book (i.e. how is gender perceived differently in Macun, Santurce, and Brooklyn?) Support your answer with evidence from the text.

Essay Topic 3

Explore the role of violence in the memoir. How does Santiago portray violence between her parents? Between children? Based on Santiago's memoir, how is violence treated in Puerto Rican culture?

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