Buried Onions

Reading Check and Short Answer questions on key plot points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

Chapters 1-2

Reading Check

1. What is Eddie’s theory about where heat vapors come from?

2. Why did Eddie drop out of City College?

3. How does Eddie earn money?

4. What is ironic about Angel’s name?

5. What does Eddie’s tía unwrap from her red dish towel?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What do Lupe and Angel ask of Eddie? Describe how Eddie feels about this request.

2. Who lives in North Fresno? Describe what Eddie notices about the man he helps in North Fresno at the end of Chapter 1.

3. Who hires Eddie for work in Chapter 2? Describe what type of work he does and what he thinks about this job.

4. What special job is Eddie given in Chapter 2? Summarize why the job does not go as planned.

Paired Resource

“Broken Ladders: Climbing the Economic Ladder in Fresno Can Be Tough. Here’s Why”

• The FresnoBee’s 2022 article on social mobility in Fresno, California
• Consider how the lack of recent social mobility in Fresno, California relates to the negotiation between Determinism and Choice in Eddie’s narrative. How do you think this has changed since the 1990’s?

Chapters 3-4

Reading Check

1. What does Eddie accuse Angel of stealing?

2. Who flirts with Eddie at City College?

3. What does Eddie find under his door in Chapter 3?

4. To whom does Eddie compare the young child on the tricycle?

5. What does the homeless man try to sell at Cuca’s restaurant?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Who does Eddie start to follow at the City College? Describe where they go and what he learns.

2. Which two family members visit Eddie at the end of Chapter 3? Summarize the purpose of their visit.

3. What surprising information does Eddie learn from Norma? How does he react?

4. Describe Eddie’s encounter with José Dominguez. Why do the two meet? What happens to José at the end of the chapter?

Paired Resource

“Hispanic Dropout Rate Hits New Low, College Enrollment at New High”

• Pew Research Center’s 2017 article reviewing statistics of U.S. high school and college enrollment patterns for Hispanics
• Consider how education completion patterns have changed between the publication of Soto’s novel in 1997 and this 2017 article.

Chapters 5-6

Reading Check

1. Which task does Eddie help Coach with?

2. According to Eddie, who are the cholitos of the animal kingdom?

3. Fill in the missing words from this quote about the policeman in Chapter 5: “He hated us because we were ____ ____ ____ ____.”

4. With whom does Eddie talk about his problems?

5. Why do the police arrest Eddie in Chapter 6?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Who does Eddie call in Chapter 5? Why does he make this call?

2. Where does Eddie accompany his nina to? Why do they make this journey?

3. Where do Eddie and Lupe visit together? Who do they see there?

4. Who does Coach call while he is with Eddie? What is the result of the phone call? Describe what happens during the phone call.

5. Where does Eddie visit in the Fresno mall? What is the outcome of his visit?

Paired Resource

“Who Signs Up to Fight? Makeup of US Recruits Shows Glaring Disparity"

• This article from The New York Times (2020) discusses the demographics of armed forces recruits in the US. (Subscription may be needed for viewing.)
• Compare and contrast this article with Eddie’s observations and motivations for enlisting in the Navy. How does this article connect to the theme of Determinism?

Chapters 7-9

Reading Check

1. Where does Eddie go after he is released from the police station?

2. Who are Eddie’s “new homies?”

3. On what does Eddie use the money from his mom?

4. What generalization does Eddie make about the name Lupita?

5. Who shows up angry at Eddie’s apartment in Chapter 9?

6. Where does nina drop off Eddie in Chapter 9?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Who called the police on Eddie and why?

2. Where do Coach, Eddie and José take a trip together? Describe what they talk about.

3. Describe Eddie’s encounter with Angel. Why does Eddie decide to go to Angel’s house? What happens when Eddie goes there?

4. Where do Eddie and José go in Chapter 8? Who do they see on their visit?

5. Describe what Eddie reflects on while lying injured on the floor.

6. Describe the final scene of the book. What is the last line of the novel?

Recommended Next Reads 

“Oranges” by Gary Soto

• The author’s 1983 poem references themes of Choice and Resilience.
• “Oranges” on SuperSummary

The Tortilla Curtain by TC Boyle

• This 1995 novel about an affluent Caucasian family and an impoverished Mexican family in Los Angeles, California touches on this novel’s theme of Resilience.
• The Tortilla Curtain on SuperSummary