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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. Now that he is a teacher, what does Rodriguez blame white students for?

2. What does Rodriguez learn about complexion from his family?

3. What does Rodriguez have to do if he is going to write this book?

4. How does Rodriguez's mother act differently in public?

5. Why does Rodriguez use the label "minority student"?

Short Essay Questions

1. What conversation does Rodriguez have with a colleague about teaching positions? What decision does Rodriguez make as a result of that conversation?

2. Why does Rodriguez's mother call him "Mr. Secrets"? In spite of his secretive behavior, what does Rodriguez believe she knows?

3. How does Rodriguez describe his mother's interaction with the public world? Give specific examples.

4. Now that he is older, how do people respond to Rodriguez's skin color?

5. How do people respond to Rodriguez's skin color when he is younger?

6. What does Rodriguez think about the Civil Rights Movement?

7. What kind of social life does Rodriguez have? Does he have lots of friends and girlfriends?

8. How would Rodriguez change affirmative action? What examples does he offer to support his suggestion?

9. How does Rodriguez use the label "minority student"? How does he feel about it? Give specific reasons why he feels that way.

10. How does Rodriguez overcome his attitudes about dark skin? Give two specific examples.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Rodriguez is told that men behave in one way and women behave in another way. He is embarrassed because based on those standards, he acts more like a woman than a man.

Part One: How does Rodriguez's family define male and female behavior? Why do you think they have those opinions?

Part Two: Do the characters in the book follow those guidelines for male and female behavior? What happens to characters who do not follow the guidelines? What happens to characters who do follow the guidelines? What is Rodriguez saying about gender roles?

Essay Topic 2

Rodriguez identifies with a student description in a textbook, the "scholarship boy." He feels that is a good representation of how he was as a student.

Part One: Describe the scholarship boy. Identify how that type of student is seen by the teacher, by fellow classmates, and how he sees himself. Identify why Rodriguez related to that description, and use specific examples to support your answer.

Part Two: Write a brief description of the kind of student you are. Identify how that type of student is seen by the teacher, by fellow classmates, and how he/she sees himself/herself. Compare and contrast your description with that of the scholarship boy.

Essay Topic 3

Rodriguez's attitude about complexion was affected by the "Black is Beautiful" movement. This movement preached that people should accept themselves for who they are rather than trying to match a specific idealized image. At that time, the idealized image was inevitably the image of a white person, which made it difficult for non-whites to see themselves as beautiful.

Part One: What was Rodriguez's attitude about his complexion as a child? What did the people around him say about his complexion?

Part Two: Besides the "Black is Beautiful" movement, what other things changed Rodriguez's attitude about his complexion? How did his attitude change? What do the people around him say about his skin color now that he is an adult?

(see the answer keys)

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