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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 object does the narrator of the chapter entitled "The Mother" name as the impetus for her severe insomnia?

2. When the narrator of the Prologue's sister reveals a secret to the narrator, what instruction does she give as well?

3. For how many years has Professor Garfield known Yo?

4. With whom does Sarita live when she moves to New York City?

5. The narrator of the chapter entitled "The Cousin" is revealed late in the chapter to have what first name?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the significance of the phrase "You are the one who knows" (125) throughout the text?

2. Describe the nature of the culture shock Sarita experiences upon arriving in New York.

3. What impetus does the narrator of the Prologue point to as the reason for the change in her husband's personality?

4. In what way does the theme of marginalization arise within the Prologue?

5. What example does the narrator of the Prologue give for the type of details Yo had revealed on the radio show?

6. In what way does the text depict a series of different religious and spiritual beliefs?

7. Discuss an example of magical realism Alvarez includes within the narrative.

8. What is the symbolism of the powder Sarita's mother uses in an effort to get to New York City?

9. For what reason does the Prologue's narrator say that she no longer enjoys reading novels?

10. In what way does the narrator of the Prologue deceive one of her sisters within the narrative?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the reasons why Julia Alvarez's novel Yo! uses many different narrators to relay the events of the narrative. What elements of the novel's themes lend themselves to this choice and what is Alvarez's intended effect on the reader?

Essay Topic 2

Analyze the interplay between the resolution of Julia Alvarez's novel Yo! and one of the novel's main messages. How does the author make connections between these elements and how does their juxtaposition help the author get across one main message of the novel?

Essay Topic 3

Look carefully at the passages of the novel that describe the close relationship between secrecy and control. What is Alvarez's purpose for discussing at length the nature of the connection between secrecy and control?

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