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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What is one thing that Rodriguez says happened to black students promoted through affirmative action?
(a) Some of them failed because they did not have a strong educational background.
(b) They were a great example for future generations of black students.
(c) They did not do any better than students who "earned" their way in.
(d) They succeeded beyond anyone's expectations.

2. How does Rodriguez's mother act differently in public?
(a) Her voice gets lower and quieter.
(b) Her voice gets higher and she speaks more formally.
(c) She is more outgoing and friendly.
(d) She struggles to speak English.

3. Does Rodriguez's mother blame him for what happened to their family?
(a) Yes, but she also blames herself.
(b) No.
(c) Yes.
(d) No, but she thinks he made it worse when he went to London.

4. What has happened to Rodriguez's classmate who applied for the same type of teaching jobs?
(a) He gets one or two offers from out-of-state schools.
(b) He is told the schools will not hire a minority candidate.
(c) He does not get any job offers.
(d) He gets lots of good job offers.

5. When he is a child, what do people say about Rodriguez's complexion?
(a) They tease him.
(b) They tell him to see a doctor to get help.
(c) They joke with him about how light his skin is.
(d) They tell him he is handsome.

6. Now that he is a teacher, what does Rodriguez blame white students for?
(a) They are rude to the minority students.
(b) They are arrogant and selfish about their grades.
(c) They do not make an effort to help poor white students get an education.
(d) They think they are smarter than the professors.

7. What example does Rodriguez offer of how affirmative action can have negative consequences?
(a) Students he knew in graduate school who had never written a paper.
(b) His own experience as a minority who struggled in college.
(c) Students who flunked out of college.
(d) Students who were helped by affirmative action, but then did not help their fellow minorities.

8. Why do the new minority students on campus make Rodriguez uneasy?
(a) They dress funny.
(b) They act like revolutionaries and promote violence.
(c) They try to speak to him in Spanish.
(d) They celebrate the cultural heritage that he has rejected.

9. Based on her behavior, who does Rodriguez's mother consider part of the "gringos"?
(a) Her children.
(b) Her next door neighbors.
(c) Her children's friends and spouses.
(d) Her grandchildren.

10. In the last chapters of the book, what is Rodriguez keeping secret from his family?
(a) That he's writing a book.
(b) That he wants to be a construction worker.
(c) That he dropped out of school.
(d) That he no longer goes to church.

11. In Complexion, Chapter 2, what does Rodriguez do to try to change his skin color?
(a) Shave his arms.
(b) Bleach his skin.
(c) Take medication.
(d) Scrub the color off.

12. While he studies at Stanford, what does Rodriguez do to make money?
(a) Works a construction job.
(b) Tutors other students.
(c) Writes for a local newspaper.
(d) Works in the school cafeteria.

13. In Complexion, Chapter 3, what does Rodriguez realize about education?
(a) It is a waste of time.
(b) It provides better job options.
(c) It changes how people look at the world.
(d) It gives people a voice.

14. Why does Rodriguez's mother call him "Mr. Secrets"?
(a) Because he lies to his family.
(b) Because he likes to surprise them.
(c) Because he hides things from his family.
(d) Because he does not talk to his family.

15. Why does Rodriguez's mother not understand his explanation about psychiatry?
(a) Because she has a cultural attitude about writers.
(b) Because he is explaining in English.
(c) Because she has a cultural attitude about private life and public life.
(d) Because he does not tell her the truth.

Short Answer Questions

1. When Rodriguez applies for teaching jobs, what happens?

2. What do the students say about Rodriguez?

3. How does Rodriguez's sister's friend challenge his ideas about complexion?

4. Where did Rodriguez teach in the 1960s and 1970s?

5. Now that Rodriguez is an adult and done with school, what does his mother ask him to do?

(see the answer keys)

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