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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What was Rodriguez like as a student?
(a) A bookworm who admired his teachers.
(b) The kind of student to whom everything came easily.
(c) A slow learner who worked very hard.
(d) A troublemaker who was bored in class.

2. Once the family has shifted to speaking English, how does Rodriguez feel when he hears families speaking Spanish?
(a) Rodriguez is frustrated because he thinks those families are making it harder for their children to learn English.
(b) Rodriguez is pleased to know that Spanish is still being spoken in people's homes.
(c) Rodriguez is embarrassed because he thinks everyone should speak English.
(d) Rodriguez is sad because it reminds him of the closeness his family lost.

3. What does Rodriguez say about bilingual education and the language of "separateness"?
(a) Students will learn better if they feel they are separate from English-speaking students.
(b) Bilingual education should reinforce the separation of the two languages.
(c) Other languages reinforce the idea that the students are separate from the larger society.
(d) Bilingual students feel separated from their education in an English-only classroom.

4. Once Rodriguez takes the reading class, how does he feel about reading and books?
(a) He loves it and wants to read all the books he can find.
(b) He thinks it is boring.
(c) He feels that reading is important, and his parents should read more.
(d) He thinks reading is hard, but books are interesting.

5. What does his mother think about his reading?
(a) She wishes he would read less and go play sports.
(b) She does not understand it.
(c) She is proud of him for reading so much.
(d) She hopes that he can teach her to read better.

6. Is Rodriguez's education affected by his religion? If so, how?
(a) Yes, because he spends his whole day praying and does not study.
(b) Yes, because his education is scheduled around religious services.
(c) No, because his education is not a religious education.
(d) Yes, because he only studies religious material.

7. How does Rodriguez's mother react to his educational accomplishments?
(a) She is embarrassed because her smart son does not speak Spanish well.
(b) She asks questions and is pleased when he wins awards.
(c) She does not care if he does well in school.
(d) She tries to help him with his homework.

8. What does Rodriguez start to believe about intimate conversations?
(a) He can no longer have an intimate conversation in Spanish.
(b) He will never be able to have them with his family because of the language barrier.
(c) Intimate conversations are hard to have in the "public" language.
(d) He can have them with his family in spite of the language barrier.

9. Did Rodriguez's brother and sister tell him what to expect at school?
(a) They told him he would have fun.
(b) They told him to be good and listen to the teacher.
(c) No, they never talked about it.
(d) No, he was the first one in his family to go to school.

10. What does Rodriguez mean by "intimate utterance"?
(a) Words take their meaning from the relationship between the speakers.
(b) Some words are more intimate than others.
(c) Intimate words should not be spoken in public.
(d) It is easier to be intimate in Spanish than in English.

11. What does Rodriguez's teacher tell him about reading and complicated ideas?
(a) People who do not read cannot have complicated ideas.
(b) He needs to read 2,000 books to have a complicated idea.
(c) Reading will teach him complicated ideas.
(d) He needs to read 5,000 books to have a complicated idea.

12. What do teachers think of the scholarship boy?
(a) They think he works too hard.
(b) They think he is the teacher's pet.
(c) They are proud of his efforts.
(d) They think he needs to work harder.

13. How does Rodriguez think the church treats his parents?
(a) It insults them.
(b) It respects them as people.
(c) It does not pay attention to them.
(d) It makes a fuss over them.

14. What does Rodriguez call the English-speaking people his family interacts with?
(a) Otros.
(b) Gringos.
(c) Foreigners.
(d) Non-Mexicans.

15. How does Rodriguez see the scholarship boy?
(a) As someone who is doomed to fail.
(b) As the teacher's puppet.
(c) As the teacher's pet.
(d) As the future of the country.

Short Answer Questions

1. As he finishes his education, does Rodriguez think his parents still love him? How do you know?

2. How does a scholarship boy form his own ideas or opinions?

3. What two versions of his religion does Rodriguez say his parents had to choose between?

4. Where does Rodriguez start school?

5. How does Rodriguez's grandmother affect his ideas on language?

(see the answer keys)

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