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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. Who rescues Anita and her mami?

2. What does Anita do after talking with Tio Pepe?

3. Why are the adults remonstrating themselves?

4. Who shoots the family dogs?

5. How does Anita view El Jefe?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens the night before Lucinda leaves?

2. What does the teacher tell the students in school the day Lucinda is leaving and how does Anita react?

3. Who are arrested in town and why?

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

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

6. What does Papi say he wants for his children?

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

8. What do Mami and Anita do in hiding?

9. What does Anita know about why Americans celebrate Thanksgiving?

10. How does Chucha help Anita and what does Chucha tell her?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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.

Essay Topic 2

"Before We Were Free" belongs to the young-adult-novel genre. Discuss the following:

1. Define the literary term "genre" and give examples of three other genres in addition to the young-adult-novel genre.

2. Discuss two reasons that it might be useful to label a text by genre and two reasons that it might be disadvantageous to do so.

3. What do you think is the difference between a young-adult novel and a historical mystery novel ?

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)

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