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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 object did Manuel hit his own head with when he was trying to show Manny how fed up he was with Rebecca?

2. When the foreman assigned a chili pepper row to Manny and Nardo, why had it not been chosen by anyone else?

3. At what did Manuel point to when he asked Manny, "Don't you think I know people like this?" (47)?

4. How many days did Manuel's drinking binge last before Rebecca and Manny went to try to get him to come home?

5. When Stinky broke a bone in Manny's little finger, what lie did he tell his mother about how he got hurt?

Short Essay Questions

1. What caused Rebecca to think that Manuel was somewhere in the pool hall even though Rico told her that Manuel had gone home?

2. What was the lost job that Nardo missed the most and why?

3. What is significant about how Rebecca behaved during the scene in which the police came into the Hernandez's home?

4. How does the theme of "otherness" emerge within the aftermath of the Immigration officers' removal of the illegal immigrants from the field?

5. What happened to alert Rebecca that Manuel was angry with Manny and that that was the reason he would not leave the pool hall after spending Manny's $20 on alcohol?

6. What is the significance of Manuel's words to Manny after he snatched the $20l from Manny's pocket?

7. What is ironic about Nardo being the one that "jeered at the [Immigration] officers" the loudest as the people were led away and put into vans?

8. What did Nardo's grandmother mean when she said, "Es muy vivo" about Nardo?

9. What kind of relationship did Manny's father and mother have?

10. Why was Manuel immediately furious when he saw Manny get out of Mr. Hart's car?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Victor Martinez cites one of his main literary influences as the poet William Carlos Williams, who is famous for his philosophy of literature that states, “There are no ideas but in things” (216). Discuss the meaning of this literary philosophy and explain how Parrot in the Oven displays its use. Use textual details to support your discussion.

Essay Topic 2

Analyze the African-American newspaper man's decision not to tell the police that Manny was an accomplice in Eddie's robbery of the woman outside the bank. Why does he make that decision and how do you know? In terms of traditional Western morality, what his decision just? Back up your points with quotes from the robbery scene.

Essay Topic 3

Explicate the theme of trust within the novel, particularly in relation to the novel's title. What is the author's message regarding trust and how do you know? Use specific concrete details from the novel to support your claim.

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This section contains 1,682 words (approx. 6 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample