And The Earth Did Not Devour Him

Multiple Choice and Long Answer questions create ideal opportunities for whole-text review, unit exam, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. Based on the content in the chapter entitled “A Prayer,” what can be inferred about the narrator’s son?

A) That he was arrested for drug trafficking

B) That he died during World War II

C) That he is currently serving in Korea

D) That he is attempting to cross the border into the US

2. In the chapter “It’s That It Hurts,” why does the speaker have concerns about attending school?

A) Inflated sense of self-worth

B) Fear of failing his classes

C) Concern about contributing to his household’s income

D) Shame related to treatment by his peers

3. What is the general attitude throughout the novel of Mexicans pursuing formalized education?

A) That it is the only way to advance in America

B) That, while important, there are a multitude of structural barriers

C) That it will lead to assimilation

D) That it is a costly and disadvantageous route to pursue

4. Based on the speaker’s description of his living situation with Don Laíto and Doña Bone, what can be inferred about the couple’s financial security?

A) Expendable wealth

B) Generosity with limited means

C) Frugal and ritualistic

D) Fervent stock traders

5. Which of the following words best describes the narration style throughout the novel?

A) Chronological

B) Ambiguous

C) Linear

D) Second-person

6. Which of the following phrases best summarizes the chapter regarding the devil?

A) An argument on the fragility of organized religion

B) A discussion on the importance of spirituality

C) A commentary on the relief of atheism

D) An aside on the history of Argentinian folklore

7. In a rage against God, the speaker poses a rhetorical questions to his mother: “I’m so tired of thinking about it. Why? Why you? Why Dad? Why my uncle? Why my aunt? Why their kids? Tell me, Mother, why? Why us, burrowed in the dirt like animals with no hope for anything?” Which of the following literary terms is used in this quote?

A) Allegory

B) Alliteration

C) Allusion

D) Anaphora

8. Which of the following literary terms does the author use in the title of the novel?

A) Palindrome

B) Parable

C) Paradox

D) Personification

9. Which of the following phrases characterizes the majority of the speaker’s narrations?

A) Explanations of his inner turmoil in a stream-of-consciousness style

B) Asides about the history of cultural atheism in Mexico

C) Chronologies of his experiences with structural racism in American higher education systems

D) Flashbacks to his service in World War II

10. Which of the following phrases best describes the role that the discrepancy between Reyes Magos and Santa Claus represents for Doña María’s children?

A) Christmas versus Easter holiday traditions

B) Catholic versus Protestant beliefs

C) Mexican versus American culture

D) Male versus female gender roles

11. Which of the following phrases best summarizes Rivera’s vignette of the priest and his blessings?

A) The disconnect between the church and migrant workers

B) The unity of marginalized communities

C) The sacrifice the parish makes for Catholicism

D) The superstitions of Mexicans travelling north

12. Which of the following phrases best summarizes the structure of Chapter 13?

A) A collection of inner monologues

B) A compilation of poetry

C) A debate between workers

D) A song of woes

13. Which of the following words best describes the speaker’s sentiment at the end of the passage where he discovers that “the earth did not devour him?”

A) Empowerment

B) Melancholy

C) Apathy

D) Delirium

14. Which of the following motifs from the novel is a metaphor for the Mexican migrant community?

A) The journal

B) The portrait

C) The truck

D) The glass of water

15. Which of the following phrases best describes the intended effect of Bartolo’s vignette?

A) To emphasize the power of language and stories

B) To describe the atrocities that the migrant communities experience

C) To invoke a nostalgic sentiment for Hispanic women

D) To share a tragic play originating in Mexico

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating text details to support your response.

1. Analyze the role that conversations play in the delivery of information.

2. What is the format of the novel? How does this format shape the narration?