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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 lives below Meme in a basement apartment?

2. In Spanish what does she feel like her name means?

3. How do Nenny and Esperanza resemble each other?

4. Why does Esperanza think that Rachel and Lucy look alike?

5. What has made Esperanza’s mother sick, or so she thinks?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Esperanza need to get a job?

2. Why is everyone surprised by Darius’s observations of the clouds?

3. Why doesn’t Esperanza like her name?

4. Why is Esperanza embarrassed by Nenny wanting to buy the music box?

5. What happens in this vignette?

6. What do the girls believe hips are good for?

7. Why does Esperanza think others think the people in her neighborhood are dangerous?

8. How does Esperanza feel when the nun is inquiring where she lives?

9. Why does Esperanza describe this day as a “good” day?

10. Why doesn’t Esperanza want to dance?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Esperanza feels different than the other girls in the story. From the reader’s perspective, is she different? If so, how?

Essay Topic 2

Esperanza is very much a product of her environment, as many characters are in this book. How have environmental factors affected the characters? How does Esperanza want to change this?

Essay Topic 3

Esperanza wants to escape The House on Mango Street and all that that life included. Based on her drive, ambition and support, will Esperanza be able to leave Mango Street behind?

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