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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 does Anita learn about their new housekeeper?

2. What is the code name used for the person who likes young girls as sexual objects?

3. What does Anita's mother want her to do with her diary?

4. Who is the other person who comes into the classroom?

5. What is Chucha's opinion about these men?

Short Essay Questions

1. How do Anita and Carla react to Carla's leaving, and how does Mami comfort them?

2. What do Sammy, Anita and Oscar discuss?

3. What does Anita realize when she writes in her diary?

4. What does Anita's mother say when the children are allowed to go back to school?

5. Why is Anita spending more time in the bathroom?

6. How does Mami feel about the Washburns living next door and what does she do because of that?

7. What do Sam and Anita see at Tio Tony's home and what do they decide to do about it?

8. Why does Anita's mother send Anita to Tio Toni's home on her way to the party?

9. How does Anita's mother talk to her for the first time?

10. Who comes into the classroom and what does the teacher do?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

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 3

Titles often play a vital role in making a person decide to read a particular book. Discuss the following:

1. Fully explain why you think "Before We Were Free" is titled as such. Do you think it is the best title for the book? Why or why not? If not, can you think of a better title? Why would you choose it?

2. How important is a title in influencing you to consider reading a book? Explain your answer.

3. Do you think a title needs to have direct relevance to a book's content? Explain your answer.

4. Have you ever read a book that when you finished, you do not understand the relevance of the title? Does it discourage you from "trusting" that particular author again?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 946 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample