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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. Who kicks over the box of ashes upon coming to visit Garfield?

2. In what grade is the daughter of the Prologue's narrator?

3. How long does it take for the narrator of the chapter entitled "The Cousin" to hear back from the person to whom she writes?

4. Whose ashes does Garfield keep in a box inside his garden?

5. From what location does Matthews call Garfield to tell him bad news?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What secret does the narrator of the Prologue's gloomy sister give to the narrator?

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

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

5. For what two reasons does Yo go to Miami?

6. In what way do Sarita and her mother Primi reach the United States?

7. Who includes a special note for Sarita on the back of a photograph she sends to the Dominican Republic?

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

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

10. How does the theme of pride emerge within the first meeting between Yo and Sarita in decades?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write a critical essay about Julia Alvarez's novel Yo! while using the critical power theory lens of Marxist theory. Use textual evidence to back up your strong, specific claim regarding the novel's treatment of issues such as socioeconomic status, hierarchies, wealth, class, or any other issues related to Marxist theory that can be found in the novel.

Essay Topic 2

Determine Alvarez's message within her novel Yo! regarding the idea that some coping methods are more effective than others when dealing with conflict or stress.

Essay Topic 3

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?

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