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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. According to Rodriguez's family, what is wrong with Richard?

2. What new academic field do these minority college students ask for?

3. What is the main reason for Rodriguez's success?

4. What does Rodriguez hope writing the book will do?

5. How does Rodriguez's sister feel about her children's complexions?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Rodriguez looks at the students of the 1960s and 1970s from a teacher's perspective. What does he see as the difference between them?

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

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

5. As more minority students attend college, what does Rodriguez notice about their relationship to their culture? Give specific examples.

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

7. How do Rodriguez's ideas about religion change as he grows up? How does his practice of religion change?

8. What does Rodriguez think about the current system of affirmative action? Give two examples he uses to support his argument.

9. What are Rodriguez's parents' ideas about masculine and feminine characteristics? How does that affect Rodriguez?

10. What does Rodriguez decide to do about a job?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Rodriguez says that writing is difficult and writing about his family is very difficult. When he is younger, he makes up elaborate lies about his family. As an adult, he chooses to write this book about his family, which is intended to be a realistic portrayal of his relationship with them.

Part One: If writing is difficult and he does it anyway, what does that tell you about what he has to say?

Part Two: Why is writing about his family more difficult than other types of writing? Why did he lie about his family when he was younger? Is he telling the truth about them now? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

Rodriguez clearly sees books as something powerful and potentially dangerous. Early on in the book, Rodriguez describes himself as being afraid to learn to read because he was aware of the power of books. Later, he describes his mother asking him what was in all those books and why he needed to read all of them. At the end of the book, he describes his nephew, who is reading, as someone who may cause trouble.

Part One: What has happened in his life to lead him to that conclusion? Give specific examples.

Part Two: Do you think other people in the book would agree with his conclusion? Why or why not? Give specific examples.

Essay Topic 3

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.

(see the answer keys)

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