Legal Alien Quiz

Which of these statements best describes the speaker’s situation in “Legal Alien”?

• She has recently become a legal resident of the United States.

• She is Anglo-American but lives in a Mexican-American neighborhood.

• She has recently moved from Mexico to the United States.

• She is both Mexican and Anglo-American in her cultural background.

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.9

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

In “Legal Alien,” how does the speaker believe she is viewed by Mexicans and by Anglo-Americans?

• Both groups see her as different from themselves, though Anglo-Americans may see her as exotic or inferior.

• Anglo-Americans see her as different from themselves, but Mexicans clearly identify with her.

• Mexicans reject her as an American, while Anglo-Americans understand that she is part of both groups.

• Both groups accept her differences and value what they can learn from her unique experiences.

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.9

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

What is the most likely reason that the speaker in “Legal Alien” points out that she can write office memos in English?

• to help readers understand that it is hard to find work in her situation

• to help her mask her discomfort at not being fully accepted

• to prove to readers that she has the skills necessary for an office job

• to show that she has a command of English as well as of Spanish

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.10

CCSS.RL.8.10

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.8.5

CCSS.RL.9-10.10

What does the context suggest is the most likely meaning of fluent in these lines from “Legal Alien”?

able to slip from “How’s life?”

to “Me’stan volviendo loca,”

able to sit in a paneled office

drafting memos in smooth English,

able to order in fluent Spanish

in a Mexican restaurant. . . .

• whispered nervously

• proudly uttered

• learned over time

• spoken with ease

Tags

CCSS.RI.7.4

CCSS.RI.8.4

CCSS.RI.9-10.4

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

The word fringes has multiple meanings. Which meaning of fringes does the poet use in these lines from “Legal Alien”? Base your answer on context clues as well as on your understanding of the poem.

. . . sliding back and forth

between the fringes of both worlds . .

• edges or outer portions

• offbeat or unusual groups

• borders of hanging threads or cords

• bands seen when light passes through a slit

Tags

CCSS.RI.7.4

CCSS.RI.8.4

CCSS.RI.9-10.4

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

How does the speaker of “Legal Alien” feel about her two cultural heritages?

• comfortable in one but not the other

• somewhat uncomfortable

• completely uncomfortable

• completely comfortable

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.10

CCSS.RL.7.5

CCSS.RL.8.10

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.8.5

According to the details in “Legal Alien,” what does the speaker do about the feelings she expresses in the poem?

• She indulges her feelings by crying and complaining.

• She grows distant and aloof.

• She hides her feelings and tries to be cheerful.

• She grows depressed and self-pitying.

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.5

CCSS.RL.8.10

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.8.5

CCSS.RL.9-10.10