View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What do the Castillos do?

2. What question does Maria continually evade?

3. Who eventually joins Delores and her father?

4. How does Cesar feel about his celebrity?

5. Of what is there no hope for Nestor and Maria?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe The Castillo brothers' arrival in New York City in 1949.

2. Does Cesar play anymore? If so, where?

3. How do the Mambo Kings meet Desi Arnaz?

4. How does Cesar feel while in a relationship with Lydia?

5. How is Eugenio able to please Arnaz?

6. How does Delores feel about Lydia?

7. What happens between Eugenio and his father?

8. What does Perez do with Cesar's mambo club?

9. How does Cesar help young Cuban musicians?

10. Who is Maria?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Cesar's will to live dies with his brother.

Part 1) Use information from the text to support this statement.

Part 2) Does Cesar's behavior change after his brother's death? What is the reason for his behavior?

Part 3) How does Cesar resolve this lack of desire to survive without his brother?

Essay Topic 2

Cesar's ailments affect his relationship with Lydia.

Part 1) Who is Lydia?

Part 2) What are Cesar's ailments?

Part 3) How do his ailments affect their relationship?

Essay Topic 3

Cesar and Nestor leave Cuba, in part, because of their father.

Part 1) Describe their father.

Part 2) When Cesar sees his father in Cuba, has his father changed? Explain.

Part 3) How does their father's personality and behavior affect Cesar and Nestor?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 820 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample