The House on Mango Street Quiz and Answer Key Bundle

Evaluate general reading comprehension and eliminate assessment planning responsibilities with this bundle of quizzes covering the entirety of Sandra Cisneros' novel The House on Mango Street. Answer keys are provided, and all materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. (Alternatively, self-grading Google Drive versions are available.) A breakdown of content follows.

Vignettes 1-4. The assessment covers the vignettes titled "The House on Mango Street," "Hairs," "Boys & Girls," and "My Name." Questions pertain to the following key details:

• The reason behind the family's move

• The qualities/description of the new house

• The smell of her mother's hair

• The lack of interaction among boys and girls in the community

• Esperanza's frustrations with spending time with Nenny

• Esperanza's desire to have a best friend

• The origin of Esperanza's name

• Esperanza's personal feelings about her name

• The Chinese year of the horse and its superstitious meaning to women

• Cultural views on women (Chinese and Mexican)

• Esperanza's great grandmother and her arranged marriage

Vignettes 5-9. The assessment covers the vignettes titled "Cathy Queen of Cats," "Our Good Day," "Laughter," "Gil's Furniture Bought & Sold," and "Meme Ortiz." Questions pertain to the following key details:

• Cathy's claims

• Cathy's impending move and her alleged reason why her family is moving

• The irony of Cathy's claim

• A purchase Esperanza makes with her friends Lucy and Rachel

• How Esperanza accumulated enough funds to make the purchase

• Esperanza's realization about how well Nenny understands her

• A visit to the junk store

• A music box

• How Meme broke both of his arms

Vignettes 10-13. The assessment covers the vignettes titled "Louie, His Cousin & His Other Cousin," "Marin," "Those Who Don't," and "There Was an Old Woman She Had So Many Children She Didn’t Know What to Do." Questions pertain to the following key details:

• Louie and his car accident

• Marin's Puerto Rican boyfriend and her future relationship goal

• Marin's background

• Esperanza's lack of knowledge about other communities leading to fear of those communities

• Rosa's background and personal struggles

• A description of the Vargas children

• A death resulting from a horrible fall

• The significance of the idea of flying, which repeats throughout the story

Vignettes 14-17. The assessment covers the vignettes titled "Alicia Who Sees Mice," "Darius & the Clouds," "And Some More," and "The Family of Little Feet." Questions pertain to the following key details:

• Alicia's commitment to her education

• The mice who roam at night

• Alicia's at-home responsibilities, according to her father and Hispanic culture

• The characterization of Darius

• Darius's intriguing assessment of a cloud

• What incites an argument among Esperanza and her friends

• A gift of high-heeled shoes

• How the girls are treated by several men

• The characterization of Esperanza and who she is similar to in terms of her goals and personal interests

Vignettes 18-21. The assessment covers the vignette titled "A Rice Sandwich," "Chanclas," "Hips," and "The First Job." Questions pertain to the following key details:

• Mom's note

• Esperanza's desire not to eat lunch at home

• The nun's denial of Esperanza's request

• Esperanza's deep-rooted feelings of shame

• Her cousin's baptism

• Esperanza's reluctance to dance

• Overcoming reluctance

• Esperanza's observation while she dances

• A discussion on hips

• Esperanza's similarity to Alicia in terms of a constant search for knowledge

• Summer work

• Flirting

• A distressing kiss

Vignettes 22-25. The assessment covers the vignettes titled "Papa Who Wakes Up Tired in the Dark," "Born Bad," "Elenita, Cards, Palm, Water," and "Geraldo No Last Name." Questions pertain to the following key details:

• Her father's emotional breakdown and its cause

• Esperanza's responsibility to explain death to her siblings

• Her father's need to travel to Mexico unexpectedly

• A game Esperanza and her friends play, which ultimately causes them strife

• A character description of Aunt Lupe

• Aunt Lupe's encouragement of Esperanza's writing

• A visit to the fortune teller

• Esperanza's desire to know whether she will have her own house

• Esperanza's skepticism

• The death of Geraldo

• Marin's connection

Vignettes 26-29. The assessment covers the vignettes titled "Edna's Ruthie," "The Earl of Tennessee," "Sire," and "Four Skinny Trees." Questions pertain to the following key details:

• Ruthie's friendship with Esperanza and her friends

• Ruthie's marriage

• The characterization of Edna

• Ruthie and Esperanza's common interest in writing

• The characterization of Earle

• Sire, the boy Esperanza likes and her parents dislike

• Esperanza's feelings toward Lois

• Esperanza's sense of self

• Esperanza's comparison to trees

• The reason behind the comparison

Vignettes 30-33. The assessment covers the vignettes titled "No Speak English," "Rafaela Who Drinks Coconut & Papaya Juice on Tuesday," "Sally," and "Minerva Writes Poems." Questions pertain to the following key details:

• The characterization of Mamacita

• The cause of Mamacita's isolation, according to Esperanza

• Esperanza's father's personal accounts regarding learning English

• Rafaela's husband and his poor treatment of her

• Coconut and papaya juice

• The characterization of Sally

• Esperanza's apparent admiration of Sally

• An assessment of Sally's marriage

• Similarities between Esperanza and Sally

• Sally's request for advice and Esperanza's response

Vignettes 34-37. The assessment covers the vignettes titled "Bums in the Attic," "Beautiful & Cruel," "A Smart Cookie," and "What Sally Said." Questions pertain to the following key details:

• Esperanza's decision to stop going to look at dream houses and her reasoning

• Esperanza's decision to let bums live in the attic of her future house

• Esperanza's concern that she is not attractive enough

• Esperanza's decision not to surrender her power as a female and how it manifests

• Esperanza's mom and her past

• Esperanza's mom and her comments about being "a smart cookie"

• Sally and the abuse she suffers from her father

• The reason Sally's father abuses her

• Sally's attempts to seek safety and Esperanza's willingness to protect her

Vignettes 38-40. The assessment covers the vignettes titled "The Monkey Garden," "Red Clowns," and "Linoleum Roses." Questions pertain to the following key details:

• A peculiar pet

• The garden's deterioration

• Tito stealing Sally's keys and trying to get her to kiss him

• Esperanza's desire to protect Esperanza, only to put herself in jeopardy

• A trip to the carnival

• Esperanza's traumatizing experience

• Esperanza's anger at Sally and women

• Sally's marriage

Vignettes 41-44. The assessment covers sections titled "The Three Sisters," "Alice & I Talking on Edna's Steps," "A House of My Own," and "Mango Says Goodbye Sometimes." Questions pertain to the following key details:

• A community's show of support following a family death

• A palm reading

• Esperanza's impression of the older women

• The older women's advice to Esperanza concerning Mango Street

• Esperanza's conversation with Alicia

• Whose responsibility it is to improve Mango Street in the years ahead

• Why Esperanza is envious of Alicia

• Esperanza's realization concerning where she belongs

Find more resources for teaching young adult fiction:

• Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers - Google and printable

• Feed by M.T. Anderson - Google and printable

• Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer - Google and printable

• Lord of the Flies by William Golding - Google and printable

• The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros - Google and printable