The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

Study Questions

1. What happened in the garden after the monkey left?

2. Why did they go to the garden?

3. What does Sally have to do to get her keys back?

4. What does Esperanza do to try to help Sally?

5. Why does Esperanza want to die?

6. Why does Sally leave Esperanza alone at the carnival?

7. What happens to Esperanza while she is waiting for Sally?

8. What are the lies Esperanza accuses Sally of telling?

9. Why does Sally get married?

10. Why isn’t Sally happy?

Answers

1. After the monkey left, the garden grew wild.

2. They went to the garden to play and to “disappear” from their mothers.

3. Sally has to give each boy a kiss.

4. Esperanza tells Tito’s mother about their game and then comes to Sally’s aid with sticks and a brick.

5. Esperanza wants to die because she doesn’t understand Sally’s game and because Sally tells her to go away.

6. Sally goes off with a boy.

7. Esperanza is raped.

8. Esperanza says Sally lied about what it felt like to be with a man.

9. Sally gets married to escape.

10. Sally isn’t happy because her husband won’t let her talk to or see her friends.