Name:

Date:

Block #1:

Esperanza Rising Test Chapters 1-5

Multiple Choice (1 pt)
Directions: Circle the answer that best answers the question.

1. Where does Esperanza Rising take place initially?

A. Los Angeles, California
B. Jacksonville, Florida
C. Aquascalientes, Mexico
D. Zacatecas, Mexico

2. The first chapter begins in 1924. What year does chapter 2 (Las Uvas/Grapes) begin?
A. 1930
B. 1924
C. 1975
D. 1730

3. What is the name of the ranch that Esperanza and her family live on?
A. The Ranch
B. El Rancho de Las Rosas
C. El Rancho de Las Uvas
D. The Ranch of the Guavaa

4. Who killed Esperanza’s father, sixto?

a. Bandits
b. Tio Luis
c. Tio Marco
d. Abuleito

5. In the beginning of chapter 3 (Las Papayas), Esperanza awakes to the realization that Papa really
is gone:
“Her smile faded, her chest, tightened, and a heavy blanket of anguish smothered her smallest
joy.”
What is the best choice for what the word anguish means in this sentence?
A. happiness
B. a small hint of anger
C. great pain, either emotional or physical
D. laughter
 Name:

Date:

Block #1:
6. Esperanza opens her gift a few days after Papa passes away. Papa bought her a porcelain doll.
Why was this significant to Esperanza?
A. Esperanza never had one before.
B. Esperanza had gotten a porcelain doll from Papa for her birthday every year.
C. Esperanza’s friends all had porcelain dolls, and she was jealous and wanted one.
D. Answers A & B

7. Which of the following forms of transportation were NOT used during their escape from Mexico?
A. an airplane
B. a train
C. a wagon
D. A & B

8. Why was Abuelita not escaping Mexico with the group?

A. She refused to leave.
B. She was afraid.
C. She would not leave Tío Luis.
D. She hurt her ankle in the fire and could not travel.

9. After Mama & the group get on the train, they meet a woman named Carmen, a poor woman who
sells eggs to make money. She gets off the train before Mama & Esperanza, and she gives a poor
beggar some money and tortillas. What does Miguel say in response to this?
A. “You were right, Esperanza. In Mexico, we live on different sides of the river.”
B. “Papa’s heart will find us wherever we go”
C. “The rich take care of the rich, and the poor take care of those who have less than they have.”
D. “When I get to California, I am going to work for the railroad.”
 Name:

Date:

Block #1:
Matching (1 pt)
Directions: Match the characters’ name to the description of the character. Write your letter choice on the
line next to each name.

10. _______ Esperanza

11. _______ Mama (Ramona) A. the main character of the book

12. _______ Papa B. Papa’s stepbrother; he proposes to Mama and

burns down their ranch when she says no.
13. _______ Abuelita C. Papa’s best friend, Hortensia’s husband, and
Miguel’s father. He is a field worker at the
ranch.
D. The housekeeper at the ranch. Alfonso’s wife
Miguel’s mother.
14. _______ Alfonso
15. _______ Hortensia
16. _______ Miguel

17. _______ Tío Luis I. Esperanza’s mother

J. Esperanza’s father

L. Esperanza’s childhood friend; calls her ‘Anza’.

Son of Alfonso and Hortensia.
M. Esperanza’s grandmother
 Name:

Date:

Block #1:
Short Answer Responses (2 pts)
Directions: Answer the question in complete sentences. There is no correct length for your answer, but
make sure you answer the question fully. Remember, complete sentences make sense on their own. You
will receive one point for writing complete sentences, and one point for answering the question correctly.

18. In chapter 2, Esperanza pricked her thumb on a rose. Mama told her it was “bad luck.” What
happened next that confirmed this superstition?

19. In chapter 4, Abuelita says to Esperanza:

“Look at the zigzag of the blanket. Right now, you are in the bottom of the valley, and your problems
loom big around you. But soon, you will be at the top of the mountain again. After you have lived many
mountains and valleys, we will be together.”

What does Abuelita mean by mountains and valleys?

20. Read the following excerpt from the book:

“When you scorn these people, you scorn Miguel, Hortensia, and Alfonso. And you embarrass me and
yourself. As difficult as it is to accept, our lives are different now.”

Who said this? What happened in the book that made the person say this?