Elena by: Pat Mora

Why did the speaker’s children learn English?

• •They needed a new challenge.

• •They moved to an English speaking country.

• •They wanted to keep secrets from their parents.

• They needed new ways to tell jokes and sing songs.

Why does the speaker’s husband disapprove of her learning English?

• He thinks it will be too challenging for her.

• •He thinks she will be more intelligent than he is.

• •He thinks it will take away from her cooking time.

• He thinks it will upset the children if she can understand them.

What motivates the speaker to keep trying to learn English?

• •If she does not understand English, she will not be able to listen to American songs.

• •If she does not understand English, she will not be able to listen to go grocery shopping.

• •. If she does not understand English, she will not be able to help her children.

• •. If she does not understand English, her husband will be disappointed.

Which of the following statements best describes a major theme of the poem?

• A.Being excluded can lead a person to feel alone and ashamed.

• Children learn new languages easily while most adults struggle.

• Lacking knowledge impacts a person’s ability to be a good parent.

• Determination and hard work will eventually have successful results.

How do the events in the poem shape the relationship between the speaker and her children?

• The speaker feels needed by her children because they have moved to a new country.

• The speaker feels separated from her children because they no longer spend time with her.

• The speaker feels uninvolved with her children because they are in high school and independent.

• The speaker feels excluded by her children because she no longer understands their stories and jokes.

How do the lines "embarrassed at the laughter of my children, the grocer, the mailman. Sometimes I take

My English book and lock myself in the bathroom," contribute to the development of the poem’s theme?

• The speaker owns only one English book, and she needs to hide it from her husband.

• The speaker hides in the bathroom because she worries that someone will discover her secret.

• The speaker practices alone in her bathroom because she is embarrassed and wants to understand English.

• The speaker lives in a small house, and she can only find privacy if she locks herself in the family’s bathroom.

How do the lines "Now my children go to American high schools. They speak English. At night they sit around

the kitchen table, laugh with one another. I stand by the stove, feel dumb, alone." show a change in the tone of the poem?

• A.The tone shifts from desperate to hopeful.

• The tone changes from connected to lonely.

• The tone shifts from admiring to disapproving.

• The tone changes light-hearted to mean-spirited.

It is not directly stated in the poem, but what do you think the name of the speaker is?

• Amanda

• Elena

• Ellen

• Esmeralda

What is the native language of the speaker?

• Spanish

• English

• French

• Portuguese

What country is the family from?

• Cuba

• Spain

• Mexico

• England