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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 is one solution that Manny did NOT wish Rebecca would choose in response to Manuel's attempt to shoot her?

2. What reason did Rebecca give Manny for why they could not wake up Manuel and tell him what was happening with Magda?

3. What did Magda do that signaled to her family that her fever had broken and she was going to be fine?

4. What was the most serious consequence levied upon Lencho for losing the fight against Boise?

5. How many weeks of training did the boxers get before the big fight?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why did Nardo have a particularly difficult time in the first few hours of hard work he and Manny did in their grandmother's yard?

2. Manny relates that his maternal grandfather died a few years back. What was his grandfather's health like before he died?

3. What actions did Manuel take on the day Magda went to the hospital that were indicative of his usual tendency to take a hands-off approach to his family's problems?

4. Why is it ironic for Lencho to be kicked out of the Berets after losing his boxing match to Boise?

5. Who were the Berets?

6. Why did Manuel assume that Grandma Rosa's house would go to Rebecca and what were his plans for it when that happened?

7. What did the argument between Magda and her mother Rebecca concerning Magda ruining her future show about Magda's character?

8. What did Manuel do after he got out of bed and realized what had happened to Magda?

9. How does Miss Van der Meer's classroom represent the theme of racial inequality?

10. Though at first Rebecca claimed it was their lack of money that was keeping her from taking Magda back to the hospital after her fever kept rising, what did she finally admit was the real reason?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Many characters within the novel have conflicted feelings about race--their own and others'. Choose at least three scenes in which the author demonstrates the complicated nature of race relations and use quotes from the novel to support your claims about the novel's treatment of race.

Essay Topic 2

Examine the topic of work within the novel. Look at Manny's description of inheriting his grandfather Ignacio's "useful blood" (6) and the contrasting attitudes toward work displayed by Nardo and Manuel. Look also at other discussions of work and ambition in the novel, such as Manny's pronouncement of Albert's risky decision to join the boxing team since he was academically inclined, and pull concrete details from those examples to support your claims.

Essay Topic 3

Many characters within the novel exemplify pervasive stereotypes about Mexican-Americans, including Nardo's laziness, Manuel's violent nature, and Rebecca's passivity in the face of abuse. Write an argumentative essay about whether or not the novel should be read in schools. Support your points with concrete details from the narrative.

(see the answer keys)

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