"Dancing for Mama" Questions

Which choice provides a summary of the passage?

• Margarita was excited to perform in a special festival. She and her mother prepared a costume and practiced the steps for the dance. Just days before the festival, Margarita’s mother had to go to the United States to work and missed the performance.

• Margarita was proud that she was selected to perform in a special festival. She and her mother spent weeks preparing for the performance. After the festival, Margarita’s mother was shocked when her daughter was selected to shake the hand of the president.

• Margarita was given the opportunity to perform in a special festival. She envied all the other performers who had their mothers to help with their costumes and hair. Unfortunately, Margarita’s mother was unable to attend the performance and had to watch it on television.

• Margarita was chosen to perform in a special festival. She was disappointed when her mother had to go to the United States to work and could not see her perform. However, Margarita’s mother ended up seeing a picture of her daughter in the newspaper shaking the president’s hand.

How were Margarita and her mother similar?

• They both met the American president.

• They both dreamed of performing at the festival.

• They both danced at the festival.

• They both performed for the American president.

How do paragraphs 1-4 contribute to the overall structure of the passage?

• A. They establish the conflict that the main character faces.

• B. They describe how the characters feel about the setting.

• C. They explain how the main character solves the problem.

• D. They provide details about a prior conflict between characters.

Which quotation supports the inference that Margarita’s mother put others before herself?

• A. “Her mamá had been so pleased when Margarita had been chosen as one of the dancers.” (paragraph 2)

• B. “As a girl, Mamá had also danced with a palm at the festival, and she had taught Margarita the steps herself.” (paragraph 2)

• C. “Her mamá had to leave for a job in the United States to help pay for his medicine and to make money for the family.” (paragraph 3)

• D. “'Think of me, and I will be with you, mi chiquita,' Mamá had whispered, hugging Margarita goodbye.” (paragraph 4)

Read the sentence from paragraph 16. Her feet felt as heavy as the palm in her hand.

What does the author mean by the sentence?

• A. Margarita was tired from walking in the parade.

• B. Margarita was sad that her mother was not at the parade.

• C. Margarita was nervous about dancing in the parade.

• D. Margarita was unhappy that she did not have flowers at the parade.

Why did Margarita’s mother miss her performance?

• Her mother was in the United States working.

• Her mother was in the United States getting medicine.

• Her mother was experiencing an illness.

• Her mother was caring for a family member.

Part A

How were Margarita and the other dancers different?

• A. Margarita carried a large palm branch during the performance, but the other dancers carried beautiful flowers.

• B. Margarita wanted to be the best dancer during the performance, but the other dancers just wanted to remember the steps.

• C. Margarita did not have her mother with her for the performance, but the other dancers had their mothers to help them get ready.

• D. Margarita did not know if her mother was at the performance, but the other dancers all knew their mothers were in the audience.

Which quotation from the passage best supports the answer to Part A?

• A. “All the other girls’ mothers were there, and they fussed with the girls’ costumes and smoothed their hair. Margarita missed her mamá more than ever.” (paragraph 15)

• B. “At the signal, Margarita lifted the palm with its rows of colorful tropical flowers and joined the parade with the other dancers.” (paragraph 16)

• C. “When the dancers neared the grandstand, the bells of Santa Cruz began to chime. As they rang out, Margarita imagined her mother watching.” (paragraph 17)

• D. “As she reached to shake the hand of the American president, there was a sudden click, click, click of photographers’ cameras.” (paragraph 19)

What does the word assured mean as it is used in paragraph 25?

• wiggled; rattled

• protected; covered

• located; discovered

• comforted; calmed

Which phrase from paragraph 25 best supports the answer to Part A?

• Don’t worry…

• …shaking the hand…

• …on the front page…

• …I can find.