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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. What does religion do for his parents?

2. Where does Rodriguez find the description of the "scholarship boy"?

3. How well can Rodriguez speak English when he starts school?

4. Where does Rodriguez believe English should be spoken?

5. In The Achievement of Desire, Chapter 4, what is Rodriguez afraid to admit?

Short Essay Questions

1. Does Rodriguez's family have the same level of education he does?

2. Once Rodriguez starts to read, what happens?

3. What is special or different about the school Rodriguez attends? How does that affect him later in life?

4. What does Rodriguez identify as the symbol of how these two versions of Catholicism intersect in his life?

5. Why is Rodriguez writing this book? Identify two reasons.

6. How does Rodriguez feel as his education comes to an end?

7. What does Rodriguez identify as the pros and cons of bilingual education?

8. How do Catholic rituals become a part of Rodriguez's life? Which rituals does he describe?

9. How does Rodriguez feel about bilingual education?

10. How does Rodriguez describe himself as a student?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Rodriguez repeatedly describes his experience of moving from a small, sheltered, or narrow world to a larger, less protected, more broad-minded world as he grows up. As he grows up, his views change on:

1) Skin color

2) Religion

3) The importance of language as a way to develop intimacy

4) Books

Choose at least two of those. Identify what Rodriguez's original opinion or idea was, what he later starts to believe, and what events in his life led him to change his perspective.

Essay Topic 2

Compare and contrast Rodriguez's parents, focusing on the following areas:

1) Their education

2) Their attitudes toward the "public" world

3) Their attitudes toward Richard and his education

If Rodriguez was going to try to talk to one of them about the loneliness and distance he feels from them, which one should he pick? Why?

Essay Topic 3

Rodriguez tells his mother that there are some things it is easier to discuss with a stranger than with a family member.

Part One: What specific things do you think Rodriguez would rather discuss with a stranger than with his family members?

Part Two: Do you agree with his statement? Why or why not?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 836 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample