House Taken Over by Julio Cortazar

Which of the following words BEST describes the mood, or overall feeling, established in "House Taken Over"?

• violent

• creepy

• sad

• pleasant

At the beginning of "House Taken Over," how do the narrator and his sister Irene spend most of their days? Choose 2 options.

• sleeping

• knitting

• shopping

• cleaning

• harvesting crops

In "House Taken Over," what do the narrator and his sister do when the back section of the house is taken over?

• they sell the house and move away

• They call the police and file a report

• They move into the other part of the house

• They open the gate and clear out the other rooms.

In "House Taken Over, which of the following details MOST clearly suggest the narrator and his sister are nervous and afraid? Choose 2 options

• They intentionally stop thinking

• They occupy themselves by cleaning

• They prefer to spend time in their rooms

• They often cannot fall a sleep and have trouble sleeping peacefully

• They collect French literature and reorder their father's stamp collection.

Wht can you infer about the brother and sister's economic status in "House Taken Over"?

• They have few possessions

• They rely on friends to support them

• They take in boarders to earn extra money

• They have enough money to live comfortably

Read the following excerpt from "House Taken Over" and describe the narrator's reaction after the back section of the house is taken over. "I went down to the kitchen, heated the kettle, and when I got back with the tray of mate, I told Irene: 'I had to shut the door to the passage. They've taken over the back part.'"

• He is noticeably angry

• He is surprisingly calm

• He is confused by the strange events

• He is distressed to lose half of their home.

Read the following quote from "House Taken Over" to determine what the details suggest about the force of creature that has invaded the house of the narrator and sister? "We had what we had on. I remembered fifteen thousand pesos in the wardrobe in my bedroom. Too late now."

• It is greedy and wants to steal everything it can find in their luxurious home.

• It is interested only in people who are rich and greedy

• It is powerful, so they distract its attention by leaving items behind

• It is terrifying enough to make them forget valued possessions.

Which option is the best statement of one of the main ideas in "House Taken Over"?

• Each time people avoid confronting their fear, they lose a little more of themselves until finally they lost everything.

• People who live in large homes lose track of how much space they have' the space becomes meaningless, and soon they no longer need it all.

• Some people have many belongings and do not seem to care, but when they lose everything, they realize how important those belongings were to them.

• People who do not build relationships, with outsiders will regret this decision, because eventually they will need the support of others, and it will be too late.

Which excerpt from "House Taken Over" best supports the theme of the story?

• "We liked the house because.. it kept the memories of great-grandparents, our paternal grandfather, our parents, and the whole of childhood."

• "Irene and I got used to staying in the house by ourselves, which was crazy, eight people could have lived in that place and not have gotten in each other's way."

• "Irene never bothered anyone. Once the morning housework was finished, she spent the rest of the day on the sofa in her bedroom knitting."

• "'I had to shut the door to the passage. They've taken over the back part'... 'In that case,' she said, picking up her needles again, 'we'll have to live on this side.'"

Julio Cortazar, author of "House Taken Over" wrote this story as a reflection of citizens in Argentina following the World War 2 in response to the political turmoil that was taking place. Many young people, including Cortazan, were critical of the government leaders who refused to fight against Hitler early in the war. What parallels do you think he was making between people in Argentina and the siblings in "House Taken Over"?

• Both the Argentinian people and the siblings ran away from their homes and allowed an unknown force to take over.

• Both Argentina and the siblings were able to save what was most important to them despite the threat of an unknown force.

• Both Argentina and the siblings refused to fight against negative forces that threatened to cause harm to them and/or their home.

• Both Argentina and the siblings surrendered in fear that they would overthrown by the unknown forces.