Delaney - This Character Writes a Monthly Column for a Magazine, and Uses the Remainder

Characters

Delaney - This character writes a monthly column for a magazine, and uses the remainder of the time to go on hikes and to cook gourmet meals.

Candidó - This character is an honest, hardworking immigrant to Los Angeles and is badly injured after a collision with an Acura.

Kenny Grissom - This character works at a car dealership and believes Mexicans are responsible for most auto thefts.

Kyra Menaker-Mossbacher - This character is an agnostic, an environmentalist, and a Democrat. This character is a hardworking Realtor and is the family's breadwinner.

América - This character is seventeen years old, is pregnant, and has long black hair.

Jordan - This character is six years old, and is dedicated to Nintendo, superheroes, and baseball cards.

Jack Jardine - This character has served as president on the Arroyo Blanco Estates Homeowners' Association for the past two years and drives a classic 1953 MG TD.

Jack Jr. - This character is eighteen years old, has red hair and several earrings. This character also makes racist jokes and damages the campsite.

Jack Cherrystone - This character does voice-over work for movie trailers and is an amateur photographer with an in-home dark room.

Resurrección - This character leaves her first husband after seven years because she is unable to become pregnant.

Sally Lieberman - This character is a Realtor at a company called Sunrise and is between forty and fifty years old.

Candelario Pyrez - This character runs the labor exchange and drives a white pickup truck.

Mary - This Hispanic character works at the labor exchange, drinks excessively, and speaks English.

Louisa and Bill Greutert - These characters are potential buyers for the Da Ros mansion as a place to escape the influx of immigrants in the Los Angeles area.

The light-skinned Mexican - This character wears a San Diego Padres hat backwards and chews gum.

Dominick Flood - This character is under house arrest for crimes committed while running a chain of banks.

Al Lopez - This character runs a handyman service and extends the height of a backyard fence.

Todd Sweet - This character is athletic-looking and opposes the idea of fencing in Arroyo Blanco Estates.

Kit Menaker - This character is fifty-five years old, attractive, and becomes charmed by another character on Thanksgiving.

Orbalina - This character is a Hispanic housekeeper.

This complete Character Descriptions contains 426 words. This Lesson Plan contains 35,757 words (approx. 119 pages at 300 words per page).

Objects

Delaney's car - This object is damaged when it hits a pedestrian.

Bag of tortillas - Candidó carries this object when he is struck.

Opossum - This is eaten by Candidó's family when Candidó is a child.

Candidó's mother's corpse - This is sealed in glass and scares a young Candidó by telling him to go to the devil.

Delaney's Column - This appears in a nature magazine called "Wide Open Spaces."

Arroyo Blanco Community Center - This is a white stucco building with an orange tile roof and features a kitchen, a wet bar, a stage, a P.A. system, and seating for two hundred people.

Sacheverell - This is killed by a wild coyote.

The gate - This structure is the subject of contention between the residents of the Arroyo Blanco Estates subdivision.

BEANERS DIE - This is written on the rocks of a campsite after the attack on América, and Candidó's campfire equipment is thrown away.

Labor exchange - This is where Hispanic men seek daily work.

Da Ros Mansion - This is the subject of contention between the residents of the Arroyo Blanco Estates subdivision.

Buddhas - América gets work scrubbing these objects for an import company.

Jeep - An Afghan dog is found crying inside this object.

The wall - This object is constructed after the gate fails to keep the residents of Arroyo Blanco Estates safe from intruders.

Dame Edith - This animal is living along the wall surrounding Arroyo Blanco Estates. It is later killed for stew.

Socorro - This person is born in a gardener's shed and is blind.

Tortilla Curtain fun questions

Short Answer Questions - Part 1, Chapters 1-2 (pages 3-29)

1. What is Delaney Mossbacher's occupation?

2. Where do Delaney and his wife live?

3. What is Kyra's profession?

4. Who does Delaney hit with his car?

5. What does Delaney give to the person he hits?

6. What kind of car does Delaney drive?

7. What parts of the car are damaged?

8. What injuries does the person Delaney hit with his car suffer?

9. What is inside the bag the accident victim carries?

10. In what languages does Delaney speak to the accident victim?

11. Where does Delaney go after he hits the person with his car?

12. Who fixes Delaney's car?

13. Who nurses the accident victim's injuries?

14. Whose death does the accident victim hallucinate about?

15. How old is América?

16. Where does América go to seek work?

17. Who or what does Candidó protect from being attacked by men in TopangaState Park?

18. What sort of work is América hoping for?

Short Answer Questions - Part 1, Chapters 3-4 (pages 30-62)

1. Which of the following describes the appearance of the homes in Arroyo Blanco Estates?

2. Who makes up the rest of Delaney's household?

3. How many hours each day does Delaney devote to his work?

4. Who or what ends up killing one of the family's dogs?

5. Why is Delaney angry toward his neighbors?

6. Who presides over the meeting at the ArroyoBlancoCommunity Center?

7. Which of the following is NOT one of the objections residents have about building a security gate?

8. Which character says he thinks building a gate is necessary?

9. What is Delaney hiding in his pocket during the community gathering?

10. Who appears oddly interested in the person Delaney hit with his car?

11. What does América bring to Candidó when she returns home?

12. Who does Candidó think América resembles?

13. What causes Candidó's first marriage to end?

14. What happens to Candidó when he drinks the dirty water?

15. Who does Candidó pray to when he hears people coming to his campsite?

16. Who approaches América and tells her that she is looking for cleaning work?

17. What time of day does the labor exchange close?

18. Which of the following does Candidó notice about one of the boys who attacks his campsite?

Short Answer Questions - Part 1, Chapters 5-6 (pages 63-97)

1. What does Delaney see on his walk through Arroyo Blanco?

2. What is Kyra wearing when Delaney returns home from his walk around Arroyo Blanco in the evening?

3. Which character has severe nightmares?

4. Why is Kyra dissatisfied with her appearance?

5. Which of the following would Kyra like to live in someday?

6. What is the subject of one of Delaney's columns?

7. How many days does América look for work before she finds a job?

8. What do América and Candidó fight about before she goes to the labor exchange?

9. Who gives América a cup of coffee?

10. Who eventually hires América for housecleaning work?

11. How much does América make per hour?

12. Who is América's coworker?

13. What does Candidó do to protect his family from the attackers?

14. With what does Candidó build their new shelter?

15. Who does Candidó encounter as he is coming out of the park?

16. Where does Candidó look for América after her first day of work?

17. What does América's new job consist of?

18. How long does América work on her first day?

Short Answer Questions - Part 1, Chapters 7-8 (pages 98-142)

1. What does Delaney run out of while cooking dinner?

2. Who goes with Delaney to buy pasta for dinner?

3. Who does Delaney run into at the store while shopping for dinner?

4. Of what does Delaney accuse Jack Jardine as they discuss the security gate?

5. What is characteristic of the man Delaney sees in the parking lot?

6. What does the man in the parking lot do to Candidó?

7. To whom does Kyra show the Da Ros mansion?

8. Why does Kyra have difficulty selling the Da Ros house?

9. What does Delaney see near the creek in the canyon?

10. What language does Delaney hear further down the trail?

11. Who does Delaney see on the trail?

12. Which of the following best characterizes the conversation Delaney has with the person he encounters on the trail?

13. What does Delaney notice after his hike?

14. Who does Delaney call from Li's Market?

15. What does Candidó's wife buy at the discount supermarket?

16. Who chooses Candidó for work?

17. What does América request from her employer?

18. Who does América encounter on the trail to her campsite?

Short Answer Questions - Part 2, Chapters 1-2 (pages 143-183)

1. Where does Delaney go to get a new car?

2. Who blames most car thefts on Mexicans?

3. Where does Delaney meet Kyra for lunch?

4. Why does Kyra become upset outside the restaurant when she goes to meet Delaney for lunch?

5. What does Delaney do after lunch with Kyra?

6. Why does Kyra decide she will call INS on the Mexican men at the convenience store?

7. In what situation does Kyra first see Candidó?

8. How does Kyra recognize Candidó?

9. Who does Kyra find inside the Da Ros mansion?

10. How long ago does Candidó remember being in Arroyo Blanco Estates?

11. What happens to Candidó when he is captured by INS agents?

12. How much money does Candidó make the first day of working for Al Lopez?

13. How does Candidó know his wife has been attacked?

14. Who or what is watching América from the brush near the campsite?

15. How long does Candidó work for Al Lopez before he is replaced?

16. What does Candidó buy for himself with some of his earnings?

17. What does Candidó buy for his wife with his earnings?

18. What does Candidó swear he will do to the two men who attacked his wife?

Short Answer Questions - Part 2, Chapters 3-4 (pages 184-210)

1. Osbert is what type of animal?

2. What does Delaney do while Kyra is swimming?

3. What does Kyra do about the Mexican laborers outside the 7-Eleven?

4. Delaney has a flashback to a party held where, two nights earlier?

5. Who is Dominick Flood?

6. Who flatters Delaney by praising his magazine column?

7. What is the topic of discussion at the party in Delaney's neighborhood?

8. Who or what reportedly attacks Sunny DiMandia?

9. According to one resident, three Mexicans disguised themselves as what to get past the gate of Arroyo Blanco Estates?

10. Dominick Flood reports that he will arrange to close what facility?

11. What jerks Delaney out of his flashback?

12. Who finds the labor exchange torn down?

13. What does the sign in front of the labor exchange say?

14. What does Candidó consider stealing out of a car when he becomes angry?

15. How much money does the woman give to Candidó in the parking lot of the Chinese store?

16. Where does Candidó decide to look for work after the labor exchange has been torn down?

17. Where do Candidó and América store their savings?

18. How much does the man with a ponytail charge Candidó for staying in a room for two nights?

Short Answer Questions - Part 2, Chapters 5-6 (pages 211-230)

1. What is the topic of Delaney's column, "Pilgrim at Topanga Creek"?

2. Why does Kyra begin to resent the Da Ros mansion?

3. Who does Kyra complain to about the squatters?

4. What is Kyra's relationship to Darlene?

5. What is Darlene supposed to do if Kyra does not call her within fifteen minutes of arriving at the Da Ros place?

6. Where does Jordan stay after the attack on the family dog?

7. Who canvasses the neighborhood with Kyra?

8. What does Kyra give as her main reason for supporting the construction of a stone wall?

9. Why do Kyra and Delaney get in an argument?

10. What does Delaney overhear Jack, Jr., saying about Mexican girls?

11. Who is Todd Sweet?

12. Why doesn't Delaney commit to openly opposing the wall?

Short Answer Questions - Part 2, Chapters 7-8 (pages 230-257)

1. How long does América wait for Candidó in CanogaPark?

2. What has happened to Candidó to delay his arrival at CanogaPark?

3. Where does Candidó go to clean himself up after he is beaten in CanogaPark?

4. Why is América angry with Candidó after he decides to return from CanogaPark to their old campsite?

5. What sort of weather does fall bring in Los Angeles, according to the narrator?

6. For one of his columns, Delaney decides to write about ______and turkey vultures.

7. Why does Delaney let a Mexican work crew into his yard?

8. What does Kyra give Delaney as a surprise gift?

9. What holiday do Kyra, Delaney, Jordan, and other residents of Arroyo Blanco Estates celebrate together?

10. What does Delaney receive for free at the grocery store?

11. What change does Candidó notice in América since their return from CanogaPark?

12. What is Candidó given by two English-speaking men?

Short Answer Questions - Part 3, Chapters 1-2 (pages 261-283)

1. What is Kit's relationship to Kyra?

2. Delaney, Kit, and Kyra attend a party at whose home?

3. Who does Jordan stay with during the party?

4. Which of the following characters says the fence surrounding Arroyo Blanco Estates makes her feel safer?

5. Who notes that Delaney's column has made several people angry?

6. Why does Delaney's column anger readers?

7. Where do Kit, Kyra, and Delaney go after they hear that a fire has broken out?

8. What does Kyra decide she needs to save from the fire?

9. What does Delaney decide to take with him while escaping from the fire?

10. What makes América so happy that she does not notice the fire?

11. What starts the fire?

12. Who or what enters the shed just as América is about to give birth?

Short Answer Questions - Part 3, Chapters 3-4 (pages 284-308)

1. What does Delaney try to joke about when the fire is burning?

2. Who gets angry when Delaney jokes about the Thanksgiving turkey?

3. Who does Delaney tell police are probably responsible for starting the fire?

4. Why does Delaney attack the man in the baseball cap?

5. What does Jordan search for in his home?

6. Which of the following homes is burned in the fire?

7. What does Kyra find in her purse?

8. What does América decide to name the baby?

9. Which of the following does Candidó not take from homes in Arroyo Blanco Estates?

10. Where does Candidó build a shelter for his family?

11. What has América eaten instead of protein?

12. What does Candidó decide to do with the cat?

Short Answer Questions - Part 3, Chapters 5-6 (pages 309-331)

1. Which part of the Da Ros home remains intact after the fire?

2. Why do Delaney and Kyra go out walking together?

3. Why does Jack want Delaney and Kyra to get in his car?

4. Which character sets up cameras along the fence?

5. Which of the following characters has a darkroom?

6. Whose face appears on the camera film set up near the gate?

7. What happens to the bills Candidó is saving?

8. Where does América tell Candidó she wants to move?

9. Why is the newborn baby not considered a citizen of the United States?

10. Who notices first that Socorro may be blind?

11. What animal does Candidó tell América they are eating?

12. What happens as Candidó is walking toward the Italian market?

Short Answer Questions - Part 3, Chapters 7-8 (pages 332-355)

1. What does Delaney do when he sees Candidó walking on the side of the road?

2. Who calls 911 when he sees Candidó?

3. Why does a woman hit Delaney's car?

4. Who does Delaney decide to follow into the woods?

5. Why does Kyra pull off the side of the road?

6. What does Kyra discover in Agoura?

7. What does Delaney retrieve from his home before searching for Candidó?

8. Who does Delaney ultimately discover has been spray-painting the gate?

9. What does Delaney do to the incriminating pictures of the people who spray-painted the gate?

10. What does América think causes Socorro to be blind?

11. Which characters are carried away by the water down the hillside?

12. Who extends his hand to lift Delaney to safety from the flood?

Tortilla Curtain

Short Essay Question - Part 1, Chapters 1-2 (pages 3-29)

1. Where does this story take place?

2. Describe the relationships between Delaney, Kyra, and Jordan.

3. What do Kyra and Delaney do for a living?

4. Describe the first interaction between Delaney and Candidó.

5. What sorts of injuries does Candidó suffer after being hit by a car?

6. Describe the relationship between América and Candidó.

Short Essay Question - Part 1, Chapters 3-4 (pages 30-62)

7. Describe the physical appearance of the homes and grounds at Arroyo Blanco Estates.

8. Describe the typical weekday morning routine for Kyra, Delaney, and Jordan.

9. What is the topic of conversation at the first gathering at ArroyoBlancoCommunity Center?

10. Describe Candidó's flashback about Resurrección.

11. How does Candidó become ill at the campsite?

12. Describe América's experience looking for work at the labor exchange.

Short Essay Question - Part 1, Chapters 5-6 (pages 63-97)

13. Describe Kyra's relationship with the Da Ros place.

14. Why does Candidó become so angry with América that he slaps her?

15. Describe América's interaction with the light-skinned Mexican at the labor exchange.

16. Describe América's new employer and what sort of work he hires her to do.

17. What does Candidó do after he decides that the current campsite is not safe enough for him and América?

18. Describe Candidó's interaction with the light-skinned Mexican in the park.

Short Essay Question - Part 1, Chapters 7-8 (pages 98-142)

19. What do Delaney and Jack Jardine argue about at the supermarket?

20. Why does Delaney drive down to the trails for a hike?

21. What is Delaney's encounter with the light-skinned Mexican and his friend like?

22. What does Delaney think happened to his car while he is hiking?

23. Why does América knock on the front door of her employer's home in the middle of the workday?

24. What sort of interactions occur in the car between América and the fat man?

Short Essay Question - Part 2, Chapters 1-2 (pages 143-183)

25. Why does Delaney dislike Kenny Grissom?

26. What is Kyra's response to the large group of Mexican men sitting outside a convenience store?