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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 do the doctors suggest that Esperanza discontinue her visits to Mama for a while?

2. When Esperanza asks Josefina where the officials will take the workers, she answers that their final destination will be_______.

3. Chapter 10 is entitled "The Avocados." What is the significance of the avocados in this chapter?

4. On the morning after the strike, what does Esperanza see hanging from a tree?

5. When Chapter 8 begins, Esperanza begins her first day of work alone. What is one of her main duties at this time?

Short Essay Questions

1. Chapter 10 is entitled Los Aguacates, the avocados. Why is this a meaningful title for this particular chapter?

2. How is the act of Esperanza's gift of the porcelain doll symbolic?

3. Comment on the image of communal life at this work camp once the work day is over that Ryan portrays in Chapter 7.

4. At dinner when the family discusses the strike and its progress, how does Miguel's outlook differ from his father's outlook about the support for the strike?

5. What is the significance of Esperanza's visit to the hospital on Christmas Day?

6. What is significant about Esperanza giving beans to the man at Marta's camp?

7. How does the sequence of events from Miguel and Esperanza's argument, to her money missing work to cast suspicion on Miguel as the thief?

8. In Chapter 9, when Mama is in the hospital, describe the quality of Esperanza's care giving.

9. How does Miguel's attitude toward his job being taken away differ from Esperanza's position about this injustice?

10. In Chapter 9, when Esperanza brings the blanket to the hospital, why do she and Mama cry?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Ramona, Esperanza's mother, undergoes a dramatic change in status. Discuss and evaluate Ramona as a role model for Esperanza.

Essay Topic 2

In the first chapter of Esperanza Rising, Papa instills a love of the land in Esperanza. There are several ways in which the characters can be categorized. One way is that are those who "love the land" and those who do not. Examine the love and respect for the land through the characters that are aligned with Papa with respect to the land, and how this love "gives back" to them.

Essay Topic 3

How might the concept of family be part of a theme of Esperanza Rising?

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