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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. How did Francisco and Smokey get the beer they drank on the night when Francisco attended his first basketball game?

2. The barracks in which Francisco's family lived along with other migrant workers was a relic from which war?

3. On which of Francisco's initial days at college was he scheduled to take an English placement test?

4. In what sort of residence did Roberto and Francisco live alone in the United States for a number of months?

5. To what California city did Francisco travel in order to attend college at the start of the memoir?

Short Essay Questions

1. What major event is taking place at the time of the memoir's opening?

2. Contrast Smokey's favorite pastime with Jimenez's favorite pastime during their freshman year.

3. What element of the student body's demographics surprises Jimenez when he arrives at the University of Santa Clara?

4. In what way does the theme of shame emerge within the chapter of Reaching Out entitled "A Compromise"?

5. What part of Jimenez's membership in the ROTC did he enjoy?

6. Which aspect of Jimenez's departure for college causes him unexpected pain?

7. Discuss a time in the memoir when Jimenez uses the motif of dreams to highlight the emotional messages within a particular scene.

8. What unexpected benefit comes from Jimenez's donning of a green uniform for ROTC?

9. What caused Jimenez to join the Reserve Officers Training Corps during college?

10. For what length of time did the Jimenez family live in the United States after their first arrival there?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What ultimate message is Jimenez sending about the mythical qualities of the United States?

Essay Topic 2

How does Jimenez use sensory details in order to strengthen the text’s messages? Discuss at least two passages that include the use of sensory details and pull quotes from these passages to support your claim.

Essay Topic 3

Examine how Jimenez goes about connecting personal experience with the arguments put forth within Reaching Out. How does Jimenez accomplish this goal and how does this goal relate to the overarching themes of the text?

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