"Sol Painting, Inc."

The short story, "Sol Painting, Inc." by Meg Medina is told in first-person (I, me, my pronouns). 

• True

• False

What does Merci want to do when she is older? 

• Merci wants to take over her father's painting business when she is older.

• Merci wants to go to college and become a lawyer when she is older.

• Merci wants to become a medical examiner when she is older.

What does Roli want to do when he is older? 

• Roli wants to take over his father's painting business when he is older.

• Roli wants to go to college and become a professor when he is older.

• Roli enjoys science and wants to be a medical examiner when he is older.

What kind of school is Seaward Pines? 

• Seaward Pines is a school for troubled kids.

• Seaward Pines is a high-class private school.

• Seaward Pines is a school that is remarkably similar to Sun Valley Magnet.

How does Papi pay Merci's tuition to Seward Pines? 

• Papi pays for Merci's tuition by agreeing to paint the gym and a few classrooms.

• Papi pays for Merci's tuition by selling his painting business to a bigger company.

• Papi pays for Merci's tuition in cash.

What do the soccer players do when they come through the gym? 

• The soccer players smear the paint all over themselves and ruin the work that was done thus far.

• The soccer players help the Suarez family finish painting the gym.

• The soccer players don't do anything, they just walk through the gym to get to their lockers.

How does Papi react to the soccer girls entering the gym? 

• Papi is incredibly angry and demands the soccer girls clean up the mess they created.

• Papi turns away the soccer girls before they can even enter the gym.

• Papi pretends everything is fine and cleans up the mess.

What is a microaggression? 

• A microaggression can be a statement or nonverbal action, often unintentional, that attacks an aspect of a person's identity.

• A microaggression is a statement that is racist.

• A microaggression is a statement that makes you incredibly angry.

How does the author develop Merci’s point of view in the following paragraphs?

     They’re dead—and I can’t wait to see it happen. Papi is going to yell at them for ruining my work. Any second, his voice will boom across the gym. The walls will rattle. When Papi loses his temper, it feels as if you’re trapped inside a huge storm cloud.

     But as the seconds tick by, absolutely nothing happens. I finally turn to see that Papi has stopped in his tracks, his hands in his pockets as he watches girls race past. We are ghosts as they go by—unseen. Finally, the tall girl looks at us from the top of the steps leading to the locker room.

     “Perdón,” she calls out in a heavy American accent before she takes the steps, two at a time. There’s laughter, hoots. Then another voice calls out from somewhere, “Excuse-oh moi!”

   A metal door slams behind them.

     I feel like I’ve been slapped. An ugly coldness creeps up from my stomach as we stand there in silence. Perdón? Excuse-oh moi? Do they think we don’t speak English? And even if we didn’t, would that make their silly apology any better?

     But it’s Papi’s stillness that makes me feel worse. Why didn’t he say anything? He’s Papi. He’s the boss, an adult, the guy in charge. How could he let this happen?

• through the words and dialogue she speaks to Roli and her father.

• by sharing her inner thoughts and observations of her father's actions.

• by showing her reaction to Roli's response to the soccer team.

How does the author develop Roli’s point of view in the following paragraphs? 

 “Merci…,” he begins.

     But I strike first, hard and fast. “Seaward Pines is a dumb school,” I blurt. “I’ll hate it. And I hate Papi, too.”

     Roli sighs. He’s quiet for a long while, which makes me uncomfortable. My brother has always been strangely good at reading my mind. Can’t he see how awful it felt to be unimportant, to watch Papi stand there like a chump?

     “What did you want Papi to do, Merci? Pitch a fit and blow your free ride?”

      Without warning, tears spring to my eyes. He pretends not to notice. Instead, he cups my scalp with his enormous hand and gives a squeeze. “Try to let this idea into your thick cranium. Papi chose to be invisible today so that you won’t ever have to be.”

      I look up at him guiltily. “That’s harder to do than shooting off your mouth, Merci.”

• by showing his reaction to what Merci does.

• by sharing his inner thoughts with the reader.

• through the words and dialogue he speaks to Merci.