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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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

• Amanda

• Elena

• Ellen

• Esmeralda

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What is the native language of the speaker?

• Spanish

• English

• French

• Portuguese

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What country is the family from?

• Cuba

• Spain

• Mexico

• England

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