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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. When Rodriguez gets a summer job during college , what does it teach him about "real work"?

2. When does Rodriguez think that minority students should get help?

3. According to Rodriguez, what do minority students need to succeed in college?

4. While he writes his book, how does Rodriguez support himself?

5. What is one thing that Rodriguez says happened to black students promoted through affirmative action?

Short Essay Questions

1. As a child, what does Rodriguez learn about dark skin?

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

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

4. How do Rodriguez's ideas about dark skin change as he grows up? Give specific examples.

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

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

7. How does Rodriguez feel about writing? How does he feel about writing about his family? How has he handled it in the past? How is he handling it now?

8. How does Rodriguez describe the change in the Catholic Church that happens as he grows up?

9. How does Rodriguez feel about white students' attitudes toward affirmative action?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Rodriguez claims that it is his education that made him successful. That is the reason he is writing this history of his education.

Part One: Find examples that prove his point. How is the person he is today a result of getting a good education?

Part Two: Find examples that disprove his point. What other advantages does he have (for example, where he lives, people he knows, personal characteristics) that could have led him to be successful even without a great education?

Part Three: Decide for yourself -- did Rodriguez's education make him successful? Explain your reasoning.

Essay Topic 2

Rodriguez describes a period in his life when he has very low self-esteem.

Part One: Why does he have low self-esteem? What parts of himself does he feel badly about?

Part Two: What happens in his life that makes him feel worse about those things?

Part Three: What happens in his life that makes him feel better about those things? Where does he go or who does he talk to?

Part Four: In your opinion, how much of Rodriguez's low self-esteem is just typical adolescent worrying about self-image? How much of it is a result of his specific situation and the people around him?

Essay Topic 3

Rodriguez spends a lot of time analyzing his education and how it affected him.

Part One: What lessons can a minority student draw from his story? What lessons can any student draw from his story?

Part Two: What lessons can the parent of a minority student draw from his story? What lessons can the parent of any student draw from his story?

Part Three: What lessons can the teachers of minority students draw from his story? What lessons can any teacher draw from his story?

Based on that, to what group(s) of people would you recommend this book? Why?

(see the answer keys)

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