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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What grade is Anita placed in at school in New York?

2. What does Anita realize about their Mami when they are waiting for Papi?

3. What does Chucha tell Anita it is time to do?

4. What word do they receive on Mundin?

5. How does Anita feel every time she starts to write Oscar?

Short Essay Questions

1. Where do soldiers find El Jefe's body and who do they arrest and what do they say about Papi and Tio Toni?

2. What does Anita know about a pill and what does she think about it?

3. Who does Mami call for help, and what does Mr. Mancini tell Anita and Mami to do?

4. What does Papi and the Washburns decide to do about Lucinda?

5. How does Mrs. Mancini's distrust of people turn out to be fortuitous?

6. What message from Chucha does Tia Mari give Anita ?

7. Why can't Anita stay with Lucinda until Lucinda leaves?

8. What does Anita overhear her father and other men talking about concerning Trujillo, and what does Anita's mother say to the men?

9. What does Anita do when she discovers she has begun her first period?

10. What arrives for Lucinda the day after the party, and how does Lucinda feel?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

1. What is foreshadow? How many incidences of foreshadow are in "Before We Were Free?" How does foreshadow contribute to a book's suspense?

2. Discuss an example of foreshadow in "Before We Were Free," including why you believe it is foreshadow. Include examples from the book to illustrate your answer.

3. How do you think most people react to uncertainty in their lives? Use examples from "Before We Were Free" and your own live to support your opinion.

Essay Topic 2

There are a number of interesting questions raised by "Before We Were Free."

1. What does the term "author agenda" mean?

2. Name one idea or concept you think may have been a part of the Alvarez's agenda. Analyze that idea as it appears throughout the book and discuss Alvarez's probable agenda concerning that idea.

3. Do you think writers who have an agenda for writing should point it out in a preface?

4. How often do you think fiction is written with a clear agenda in mind by the author?

5. Research the life of Julia Alvarez to see if her life may have influenced her writing and, if so, where and how?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the following:

1. Who is/are the protagonists of the story and why?

2. Who is/are the antagonists of the story and why?

3. Which three secondary characters have the greatest impact on the plot?

4. Are any of the characters dispensable? Why or why not? If yes, which ones?

5. Do you think this is a character-driven plot or an action-driven plot? Explain.

(see the answer keys)

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