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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. Which authority figure in Esmeralda's life is so gullible as to believe everything the children tell him/her?

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

3. What happens to Dona Cony in "El Mangle"?

4. What does Esmeralda love most about Titi Generosa?

5. According to Esmeralda, why couldn't Papi live in a place like El Mangle?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Esmeralda describe her first experience of snow?

2. Discuss the differences between Angie and Gladys.

3. How does Esmeralda feel as Nicasia leads her through the process of blessing the dead baby?

4. Why does Mami begin sending the children to Sunday school?

5. Describe Dona Andrea.

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

7. Discuss the difference in Gladys' and Esmeralda's reactions to the task of peeling potatoes.

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

9. How does the vision of romance which Esmeralda receives from soap operas compare with the relationship model she receives from her parents?

10. Why does Esmeralda scream at Don Luis during her piano lessons?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compare and contrast Santiago's portrayal of the country with her portrayal of the city. How does life change for Esmeralda and her family as they move back and forth between the city and the country? Which lifestyle, if either, is idealized in the text? Which, if either, is disparaged? How does Santiago balance her portrayal of these distinctly different spaces?

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

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?

(see the answer keys)

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