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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. How is Tyler's mother helping his father in "Bad-Luck Farm"?

2. How much does Mari's father and his brothers send to their family in Mexico weekly?

3. After the dinner with Tyler and his grandmother, when does Mari write a letter to her abuelita?

4. In whose class does Tyler remember studying the constitution last year?

5. Who asks the Cruzes if they know anything about where Grandma went?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who are Aunt Roxie and Uncle Tony, and why did Tyler spend a month with them in Boston?

2. What does Tyler think about his granfather's death?

3. Why does Tyler's father think the Mexicans working for them may not be legal?

4. Why does Grandma visit the Cruzes in their trailer in December?

5. How did Tyler spend the month with his aunt Roxie and uncle Tony?

6. How do Tyler's parents think they will be able to keep the farm?

7. What does Tyler say when Mari tells him that she and her father and uncles are in the U.S. illegally?

8. Why did Mari's mother go back to Mexico alone, and how long has she been gone?

9. What does Mari compare the swallows to when Tyler tells her they migrate to Mexico in the fall?

10. Why does Tyler tell Mari it is terrible at his house?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Mari writes letters to her mother even though she cannot send them. Why does Mari begin writing letters to her mother even when they do not know where she is? How and why are the letters therapy for Mari?

Essay Topic 2

The interrobang is a punctuation mark that is created by combining a question mark and an exclamation mark. How does it represent the surprises Tyler experiences in April.

Essay Topic 3

In the novel, some characters are more thoroughly described than others. Who are some characters that are merely named in passing or have a minor role in Return to Sender? What is the importance of these flat characters to the storyline? In what way do these characters make the main characters more colorful or interesting? When there is conflict, what type of role do these flat characters play?

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This section contains 943 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample