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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. What does Eddie spot across the street from the breakfast café in Chapter 4?

2. What term is used as reference to U.S. citizens of Mexican descent?

3. What aunt brings Eddie food in Chapter 2?

4. What does Eddie explain to Mr. Stiles in the note that he leaves him in Chapter 3?

5. What refers to the area of the Central Valley of California that lies south of the Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta in Stockton?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Eddie respond to the news about Jesús’s murder in Chapter 4?

2. What does Eddie’s aunt bring him daily in Chapter 1? Why?

3. Who has stolen the truck in Chapter 2? What is Eddie’s response to the situation?

4. What errand does Mr. Stiles ask Eddie to do in Chapter 2?

5. Who do Eddie’s aunt and mother try to get him to date in Chapter 3?

6. How does Eddie feel about his job prospect in Chapter 2?

7. Who visits Eddie after he leaves Mr. Stiles’s house in Chapter 3?

8. What do Eddie and José find when they stop to pick up onions after eating in Chapter 4?

9. Who is the protagonist of the book? How is his objective defined in Chapter 1?

10. Who is Angel? How is he described in Chapter 1?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe and discuss the motif of onions in Buried Onions. When are they first mentioned by the narrator? How do onions play into the description of the setting in the barrio? What is represented by the onion seller in the novel?

Essay Topic 2

Describe and analyze the character of Coach in the narrative. How old is Coach? How long has Eddie known him? Why does Eddie trust Coach in telling him about the stolen truck? What does Coach represent symbolically to Eddie?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the character of José Dominguez in Buried Onions. What does José represent symbolically to Eddie? What was their history together like? How does José differ from Angel? How have José and Eddie developed as characters since their childhood?

(see the answer keys)

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