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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. Which poetry club member is extremely quiet, according to Xiomara?

2. In the poem "In Translation" (234), Xiomara describes Mami's lips as what objects?

3. In what location does Chris hand out flyers for the citywide poetry slam?

4. The poem entitled "Music" (141) ends with an invocation of which human sense?

5. What object does Xiomara use as a metaphor to express the loneliness she feels at the thought of being sent to the Dominican Republic?

Short Essay Questions

1. For what purpose does Xiomara use the metaphor of a balloon to describe her feelings when she sees Cody?

2. How is the power of communication depicted in Xiomara's rough draft of Assignment 4?

3. Discuss the humanist messages present within the short poem entitled "Wants" (146).

4. How does Acevedo slowly introduce the elements of performance poetry into the narrative?

5. About what topic does Xiomara have hope, as discussed in her poem "Hope is a Thing with Wings" (263)?

6. Who is Cody?

7. How does the theme of deception appear within the relationship between Xiomara and Caridad?

8. Who is ultimately in charge of determining whether Xiomara's behavior is correct or not?

9. What experience does Xiomara have with receiving compliments?

10. What event causes Xiomara to wonder about the qualities of silence and its possible destructive nature?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write a critical essay about The Poet X while using the critical power theory lens of feminist theory. Use textual evidence to back up your strong, specific claim regarding the novel's treatment of gender roles, the objectification of women, female empowerment, misogyny's role within society, or any other issues related to feminist theory that can be found in the novel.

Essay Topic 2

Look carefully at the passages of the novel that describe the close, yet somewhat tentative, relationship between Xiomara and Xavier. What is Acevedo's purpose for discussing at length the nature of the connection between these two teenage siblings?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss how and why Acevedo instills three different humanist messages into the narrative of The Poet X.

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