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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. Why does Rufina agree to let Officer Armijo take them home?

2. On "Saturday," Chapter One, what is one thing that does NOT bother Rufina?

3. After how much time did the Explorer move into Rosalinda’s bed?

4. Rafa is both a prophet and what else?

5. What was the Explorer's secret?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Rufina do in response to not finding her mother or baby?

2. What happens to the money and crystal in the siblings’ basket on Saturday?

3. In "Saturday," Chapter Two, on what do the siblings focus while they are performing in the town square?

4. What are the signs that Rufina is struggling to perform for the crowd? Why is she struggling?

5. What does Rufina do to calm down her anxiety on Saturday?

6. What does the angel do when Rufina is in the trunk?

7. What is the experience of the couple that are on holiday on Saturday?

8. Who are the townspeople in "Saturday," Chapter Two that the narrator describes?

9. What does Rafa do, when Rufina is unable to perform on Saturday?

10. Why does Rufina wake up in a sweat on Saturday morning in Chapter One?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

At the beginning of the book, Rufina and Rafa’s mother has recently died, and the two seem to have reverted back to childhood. How do these two deal with the loss of their mother in different ways? How is her loss significant to this story? How does this support the theme of loss?

Essay Topic 2

Child abuse becomes much more apparent in “Saturday.” What abuse is described by the narrator? How are the various characters affected by it? How does this abuse affect the story? How is abuse related to the theme of resiliency?

Essay Topic 3

The Explorer used the two children, Rufina and Rafa, as street performers to get money from the tourists. What else is learned about the Explorer? What is his role in this story? How has his presence in this family affected them? Would the family have been better off is he had never come along? Why or why not?

(see the answer keys)

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