Reading Comprehension: The House on Mango Street

Who is the author of The House On Mango Street?

• Sandy Cerenos
• Sandra Cisneros
• Caty Cisneros
• Ezperanza Cisneros

Who lives on Mango Street?

• Mama, Papa, Carlos, Kiki, Nenny and Esperanza
• Esperanza, Louie, Carlos and Nenny
• Mama, Papa, Nenny, Kiki, Esperanza
• Everyone in the novel

My Name
What is the narrator's name, and what does it mean in English and Spanish?

• It is Blance. In English it means "white." In Spanish it means "pure."
• It is "Esperanza." In English it means "hope." In Spanish it means "too many letters."
• It is "Nenny" and It doesn't mean much of anything
• It is "Esperanza" and it means woman.

True or False
People who come into Esperanza's neighborhood think the residents are dangerous.

• True
• False

What does the narrator mean when she says, “Until then I am a red balloon, a balloon tied to an anchor?

• She is saying that she, unlike her brothers, has a lot of responsibilities. She is not as free and independent as Carlos and Kiki, at least until Nenny is old enough to be mature. 
• She believes that she is made of rubber and can be filled with helium and float into the sky.
• Here, she is implying that her parents hate her because she is a girl and they won’t let her do anything like Carlos and Kiki. 

What does Esperanza mean by the quote, “she looked out the window her whole life, the way so many women sit their sadness on an elbow.” 

• She means that women are forced to sit and ‘watch’ life go by without living their own dreams. They have to do what is expected of them. 
• She means that her great-grandmother loved to look outside and see her children playing. If one of then got hurt, then she felt really sad. 
• She means that she really wanted to be free, but her family kept her inside all day to look out the window.

"Then as if she forgot I just moved in, she says the neighborhood is getting bad"(13)
Who says the neighborhood is getting bad?

• Cathy
• Catherine
• Caty
• Clay

What happened when Louie's other cousin visited?

• He tried to sell toys to them.
• He gave the kids a ride in a stolen car and was arrested.
• He took them to see their first movie.
• Esperanza had a crush on him.

What does Esperanza mean when she says that Alicia inherited her mother’s rolling pin and sleepiness?

• She received her mother’s looks and mannerisms. 
• She took over her mother’s position at the factory where she worked.
• She received all of her mother’s responsibilities of taking care of the family.

How do the men in the neighborhood behave when they see the girls in those shoes?

• The men began to notice Rachel, Lucy, and Esperanza. As they are walking, the men couldn’t keep their eye off of them.
• The men began to follow the girls and then they ran home and threw the shoes in the garbage.
• The men looked at the girls and told them that they needed to take the shoes off because they made them look too mature.