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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. Which family member dies during "Casi Senorita"?

2. Why is Mami uncomfortable with Papi's idea that Esmeralda take piano lessons?

3. What title does Esmeralda's teacher in El Mangle refuse to respond to?

4. Why don't boys pay attention to Esmeralda in "Letters from New York"?

5. Who finds Esmeralda's family a cab from the airport?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the church Mami sends the children to in "Casi Senorita".

2. How does Esmeralda describe the stewardesses at the beginning of "Angels on the Ceiling"?

3. How does Esmeralda cope with the embarrassment of being singled out for her sub-standard math skills in front of the class?

4. How has Mami's appearance changed after her return from New York?

5. How does Francisco's family react to the news that he has cancer?

6. Describe Dona Andrea.

7. Discuss the interactions between Esmeralda's family and the taxi driver in "Angels on the Ceiling".

8. How does Esmeralda feel as Nicasia leads her through the process of blessing the dead baby?

9. Why does Mami begin sending the children to Sunday school?

10. How does the vision of romance which Esmeralda receives from soap operas compare with the relationship model she receives from her parents?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Analyze Santiago's treatment of childhood and the child's perspective throughout this work. How does she portray her own childhood? How does the child narrator provide a commentary unavailable to an adult narrator? How does Santiago's treatment of childhood compare with mainstream American notions of childhood? What has growing up in jibara culture contributed to her notions of childhood?

Essay Topic 2

Analyze Santiago's treatment of her bilingual experience throughout the memoir. Discuss, for example, the way she transcribes her Puerto Rican accent in dialogue, the way she handles Spanish words in the text, and the glossary of Puerto Rican and Spanish words in the back of the book. What issues arise surrounding the treatment of English, Spanish, and "Spanglish" in the book?

Essay Topic 3

Address the form and structure of the memoir. Analyze Santiago's choices in composing her life story. Consider, for example, the epigraphs that proceed each chapter, the titles of each chapter, and the progression of the story. How does Santiago make artistic choices in telling her story? How do these choices contribute to the overall effect of the work?

(see the answer keys)

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