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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. Who does Sam hire to garden for him?

2. Whose picture is Kim staring at during the opening of the book?

3. What is the result of Leona’s efforts with the city?

4. What does Wendell do to show the person who frightened him that he means well?

5. What does Ana realize she has done after digging something up?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Leona want to plant goldenrod?

2. Why does Ana describe her neighborhood in terms of the cultures within it?

3. What are Leona’s experiences with calling the city?

4. At the end of this chapter “Sam,” why does Sam claim the garden is a reflection of Cleveland?

5. Why does Kim’s family keep a photo of their father at an alter?

6. How does Sam try to make people in the neighborhood friendlier?

7. Why do you think Ana attempts to correct her mistake?

8. Kim mentions crying for a different reason than her sisters. What does she mean by this?

9. Do you think Ana was right to go dig up something she thought was trouble?

10. How does gardening help Tio Juan in the chapter “Gonzalo”?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Suspicion of others is a major theme in the novel, as there are many who are suspicious of their neighbors in this particular area. How does the garden help these individuals to lower their guard with one another? What is the garden able to do that merely living together does not do?

Essay Topic 2

Briefly go through each of the characters in the novel, and explain how the garden helped to improve their lives, circumstances, or outlook on life. Be sure to include details of each story to show an understanding of how the garden affected the characters.

Essay Topic 3

Royce does not have a chapter in the novel, and yet he is mentioned by several characters. Who mentions him, and why? What does Royce’s character bring to the novel that enhances the author’s message? What is Royce’s background, and how do people see him originally? How does this change over the course of the novel, and why?

(see the answer keys)

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