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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. According to Mami, why do morenos dislike Puerto Ricans?

2. Where does Mami go to visit the ailing Francisco?

3. When Mami returns from New York, what color are her fingernails painted?

4. When she first arrived in El Mangle, why wouldn't Esmeralda drink water?

5. How old is Raymond in "Letters from New York"?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Esmeralda's family react when they learn that Francisco has cancer?

2. How does Francisco's family react to the news that he has cancer?

3. Describe the house the family moves into at the beginning of "Letters from NY".

4. How does Esmeralda cope with the embarrassment of being singled out for her sub-standard math skills in front of the class?

5. Discuss the interactions between Esmeralda's family and the taxi driver in "Angels on the Ceiling".

6. What happens when Don Joaquin calls on sinners to cast off evil?

7. How does Esmeralda describe the stewardesses at the beginning of "Angels on the Ceiling"?

8. How has Mami's appearance changed after her return from New York?

9. Why does Esmeralda say that it is impossible to escape the stench when her family lives in El Mangle?

10. Explain the deal Esmeralda strikes with Mr. Gray.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the way Santiago portrays the Puerto Rican culture in the United States. How, according to the book, do Puerto Ricans adapt to living in New York? How do their lives change? What remains the same? How does Santiago seem to feel about these changes? How does Santiago act as a detached observer of the Puerto Rican community in Brooklyn?

Essay Topic 2

Analyze Santiago's treatment of her bilingual experience throughout the memoir. Discuss, for example, the way she transcribes her Puerto Rican accent in dialogue, the way she handles Spanish words in the text, and the glossary of Puerto Rican and Spanish words in the back of the book. What issues arise surrounding the treatment of English, Spanish, and "Spanglish" in the book?

Essay Topic 3

Analyze Santiago's presentation of family in the memoir. How does she treat her own family in writing this book? Does the family provide a healthy living environment? Is her family a traditional Puerto Rican family? If not traditional, is it in any way typical of a particular socio-economic, regional, or cultural group within the nation?

(see the answer keys)

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