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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 tells Jose that Yo cannot have children with her current husband?

2. To whom does Penny introduce Lou at a party within the chapter entitled "The Student"?

3. Who denies Yo's request to move out of the room she rents from Marie and Clare?

4. What is the name of Jose's wife?

5. At what location does Yo meet the narrator of the chapter entitled "The Best Friend"?

Short Essay Questions

1. In what way is the theme of rebirth demonstrated within the chapter entitled "The Landlady"?

2. For how many weeks has Clair been away at the time Yo comes to live as a tenant in Marie and Clair's home?

3. Discuss the ways in which the characters of Yo and Dexter differ.

4. For what reason does Yo come to join Tammy in bed within the chapter entitled "The Best Friend"?

5. With what elements of Yo's personality is Jose uncomfortable?

6. How does Alvarez depict the effects of the cycle of abuse within the novel?

7. From what culture does Tammy hail?

8. What reason does Tammy pinpoint when wondering what makes her go along with "Yo's schemes" (147)?

9. Name at least three narrators of the chapter entitled "The Wedding Guests."

10. What element does Alvarez depict as the main reason for the split between Yo and Dexter?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Trace the characterization arc of Yo's character throughout the novel. Discuss whether she is a round or flat character and whether she is a static or dynamic character.

Essay Topic 2

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 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?

(see the answer keys)

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