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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 comes to see Anita and Mami?

2. What is Pupo supposed to do?

3. What are Oscar and Sam doing?

4. Where is Anita on Thanksgiving Day?

5. Why do the children go to their new school in the consul's car ?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What do the children do after the American school is closed and how do they get to school?

3. Who are arrested in town and why?

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

5. What do Mami and Anita do in hiding?

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

7. What happens the night before 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 are Mami and Anita waiting for and how has Pupo failed the rebels?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Often authors will write about "what they know," and sometimes knowing a little about the author makes the books more interesting. Discuss the following:

1. Research and give a brief biographical sketch of Julia Alvarez.

2. What in Alvarez's background may have helped her in writing "Before We Were Free"? What may have influenced the way she depicts various characters and scenes?

3. Do you think there is always some of the author's own life in his or her novels? Why or why not? Give examples.

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

Oftentimes, a book's plot is principally either character driven plot or action driven, although some books seem to balance the two. Discuss the following:

1. What do you think it means to say that a plot is character driven? Action driven?

2. How do you think a plot differs when it is character driven versus action driven?

3. Which type of plot do you find more interesting? Why?

4. Do you think it is possible to have a plot where action and character development share equal time? Why or why not.

5. What type of plot do you think "Before We Were Free " has? Explain your response.

(see the answer keys)

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