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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Mami threatens the children that if they repeat the obscenities they hear, which of the following will happen?
(a) The child will get a severe spanking.
(b) The child will get a mouthful of hot peppers.
(c) The child will not go to heaven.
(d) The child will be sent to live with Tata.

2. What game do the children play in the house to make Titi Avena miserable?
(a) Hide-and-seek.
(b) Stickball.
(c) Spaniards and Caribs.
(d) Soccer.

3. According to Esmeralda, why couldn't Papi live in a place like El Mangle?
(a) Papi cannot find work in places like El Mange.
(b) Papi has too much pride.
(c) Papi is not allowed to travel.
(d) Papi's nose is sensitive to bad smells.

4. What do the children use to block out the sound of the bar next door?
(a) Papi's radio.
(b) Rags and toilet paper.
(c) Cotton.
(d) Ear plugs.

5. What does Tata's breath smell like?
(a) Coffee.
(b) Oregano.
(c) Cigarettes and beer.
(d) Bile.

6. Who finds Esmeralda's family a cab from the airport?
(a) Don Julio.
(b) Tata.
(c) Don Luis.
(d) Raymond.

7. What kind of math problem is Esmeralda called to the board to solve?
(a) Addition of percents.
(b) Subtraction of decimals.
(c) Addition of fractions.
(d) Multiplication.

8. What does Miss Brown, the homeroom teacher, wear?
(a) Pencil skirts.
(b) Blazers.
(c) Shoulder pads.
(d) Sweat pads.

9. Why is Mami uncomfortable with Papi's idea that Esmeralda take piano lessons?
(a) Esmeralda is casi senorita.
(b) Esmeralda is rude to adults and is likely to embarrass them.
(c) Esmeralda does not like music.
(d) Esmeralda is focusing on music and not school.

10. According to Dona Andrea, what happens if a child hits his/her mother?
(a) God will curse the child.
(b) The child's father will disown the child.
(c) The child's mother can never come home.
(d) The child cannot be buried when she/he dies.

11. What type of business shares a wall with the family's new home in "Letters from New York"?
(a) A bar.
(b) A liquor store.
(c) A corner store.
(d) A restaurant.

12. When she first arrived in El Mangle, why wouldn't Esmeralda drink water?
(a) Esmeralda feared it came from the lagoon.
(b) Esmeralda was on a thirst strike.
(c) Esmeralda learned about parasites in school.
(d) Esmeralda developed a taste for cafe con leche.

13. Which of the following is NOT one of the images in the botanica window Esmeralda passes in "El Mangle"?
(a) The Creation scene.
(b) A bleeding Jesus Christ.
(c) The Tree of Life.
(d) A blonde Virgin Mary.

14. What illness does Francisco die from?
(a) HIV/AIDS.
(b) Meningitis.
(c) Appendicitis.
(d) Cancer.

15. Why do Esmeralda and the children stay cooped up inside now that they live in Brooklyn?
(a) The neighborhood is full of gente mala.
(b) Mami doesn't trust that they will not get lost.
(c) It is too cold to go outside.
(d) The children have too much homework to play outside.

Short Answer Questions

1. How many rooms does the family have in Tata's house?

2. What is the first word of English Esmeralda hears her mother speak?

3. How old is Raymond in "Letters from New York"?

4. What does Tata warn Esmeralda to watch out for?

5. From what does Papi fashion a private room for himself?

(see the answer keys)

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