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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. What does Cleofilas make for the doorways without doors in their home?

2. In the beginning of the story, Cleofilas’ father imagines her one day dreaming of returning to what “that never ended”?

3. What is Cleofilas’ full name in “Woman Hollering Creek”?

4. What does the Spanish word “pues” translate to in English?

5. Cleofilas is looking for her maid of honor to fulfill what conspiracy in the opening of the story?

Short Essay Questions

1. How do dreams and reality contrast in Cleofilas’ marriage to Juan Pedro in “Woman Hollering Creek”?

2. How does Cleofilas compare Juan Pedro to the male stars of the telenovelas?

3. How does Cleofilas compare romantic love to the love between parent and child?

4. What about the creek by her house fascinates Cleofilas after her marriage? How does she pursue this matter?

5. What does Cleofilas consider about her name in comparison with the characters from the telenovelas?

6. At what times during her marriage does Cleofilas admire Juan Pedro?

7. Who is getting married in the opening of “Woman Hollering Creek”? How are the cultural details of the event described?

8. How does the meaning of the creek’s name change to Cleofilas at the end of the story?

9. How is Cleofilas’ hometown described early in the story? How does Cleofilas spend her time there?

10. How would you characterize the plot structure of “Woman Hollering Creek”?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the concept of “cultural hybridization” and its influences on the writers of Chicano literature. In what ways does this genre of literature differ from that of other minorities in the West? How is this concept illustrated in “Woman Hollering Creek”? How does the concept apply to Cleofilas in the story?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the symbolism and imagery surrounding Dolores’ garden in the story. What is ironic about the narrator’s descriptions of the flowers? What do these flowers represent to Dolores? What do they represent to Cleofilas?

Essay Topic 3

Reality versus Fantasy in “Woman Hollering Creek”

a. Describe and discuss the various fantasies that Cleofilas engages in throughout the story. What do these fantasies revolve around? How do they compare with fantasies of your own?

b. Describe the realities of marriage and living in the United States for Cleofilas in the narrative. In what ways is Cleofilas isolated and alienated in this setting? How does her reality differ from her fantasies?

(see the answer keys)

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