Dominicana

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

Multiple Choice

1. Which character contributes the most to Ana’s growth as a person?

A) César

B) Juan

C) Marisela

D) Teresa

2. What is one thing that Juan and Ana have in common?

A) They are relieved to be away from the conservative Dominican culture.

B) They use aggression to hide their insecurities and frustrations.

C) They sacrificed a chance at love to fulfill their duty to family.

D) They are cynical about other people’s motivations for helping them.

3. How does Ana’s relationship with her mother change over the course of the novel?

A) Ana slowly learns to empathize with and respect her mother’s perspective.

B) The balance of power in their relationship gradually shifts in Ana’s direction.

C) Ana’s increasing homesickness causes her to truly appreciate her mother for the first time.

D) As Ana grows more confident, she and her mother grow more distant as they clash more and more.

4. Which character best illustrates how the need to survive and the struggle to get ahead can corrupt a person’s values?

A) Marisela

B) Teresa

C) El Guardia

D) Gabriel

5. Which is the best description of Juan’s character?

A) Juan is a vain, immature, and superficial person who is more interested in having affairs and making money than in being a responsible husband.

B) Juan is overwhelmed by his responsibilities and makes many mistakes that he later regrets.

C) Juan is insecure, insensitive, and aggressive, but he does his best to fulfill what he sees as his duty to his family and his young wife.

D) Juan covers his fear of rejection by pushing Ana away and treating her as if she is a disposable feature in his life.

6. Which is the most reasonable interpretation of the symbolic value of Ana and Juan’s apartment?

A) The apartment represents patriarchal control and the oppression of women.

B) The apartment represents Ana’s conflicted feelings about her cultural roots.

C) The apartment represents the changing relationship between Juan and Ana.

D) The apartment represents both the opportunities and costs of Ana’s life in America.

7. Which is the most reasonable interpretation of the symbolic value of Ana’s baby?

A) She represents assimilation into American culture.

B) She represents Ana’s hope for a better future.

C) She represents the sacrifices Ana has made for her family.

D) She represents the chaos in Ana and Juan’s relationship.

8. Which is the clearest symbol of Ana’s ability to rely on her own heritage and identity as she works to become independent and successful in her new home?

A) The new dress and coat from El Basement

B) The arepitas and pastelitos Ana makes

C) The chocolate Ana buys from the bodega

D) The immigration documents for Ana’s family

9. Why is the book’s historical setting appropriate for its subject matter?

A) It is a time of social upheaval and rapid change.

B) It is a time when many leaders are being assassinated.

C) It is a time when civil rights are being codified into law.

D) It is a time of great division between the generations.

10. Which is the most reasonable interpretation of the reasons for Ana and Juan’s differing reactions to living in New York?

A) Juan’s age makes it much harder for him to learn English and adapt to a new culture, unlike the much-younger Ana.

B) Although Juan dislikes modern machinery, Ana is fascinated by it, so living in New York seems like a dream to her.

C) Ana is devoted to her family and her culture, while Juan has always disliked the Dominican Republic.

D) Ana is young and naive and, unlike Juan, she does not really understand how unstable the Dominican Republic is becoming.

11. Which couple’s life shows Ana what living in America can be like under better circumstances?

A) Teresa and El Guardia

B) Ana’s mother and father

C) Yrene and Hector

D) Marisela and her husband

12. Which of the book’s thematic concerns is most clearly conveyed by Ana’s private nickname for herself—“Ana X”?

A) The pursuit of the American Dream

B) The power of women to effect change

C) The tension between individual desire and duty to family

D) The discrimination faced by immigrants

13. Which event most clearly conveys the text’s thematic concern with pursuing the American Dream?

A) Juan’s plan to rent the next-door apartment for Ana’s family

B) Juan’s family’s attempts to buy Ana’s father’s land

C) Ana’s desire to stay in school despite her engagement

D) Ana’s mother’s criticism of Ana’s father’s business ability

14. Which event most clearly conveys the text’s thematic concern with the tension between individual desire and duty to family?

A) Ana’s mother’s question about manatees and sharks

B) César teaching Ana how to sew

C) The end of Ana and César’s relationship

D) Marisela’s desperation to get her wedding ring back

15. Which event most clearly conveys the text’s thematic concern with women’s power to effect change?

A) Ana’s discovery that she is pregnant

B) Ana’s mother helping her write letters to Juan

C) Ana’s signing of the false immigration documents

D) Ana’s decision to take English classes

Long Answer

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

1. How do Ana’s personal characteristics initially hold her back from following her mother’s advice about asserting herself in her marriage, and how is the incident at El Basement a turning point for her?

2. What are the factors in Ana’s life that make it difficult for her to escape from her abusive marriage to Juan?