“In La Rinconada, Peru, Searching for Beauty in Ugliness” by Marie Arana

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• Period 2
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• Period 6

What surprising thing does the author of “In La Rinconada, Peru, Searching for Beauty in Ugliness” witness on her trip?

• a. hunger and hardship
• b. breathtaking lake views
• c. fleeting moments of joy
• d. environmental destruction

According to “In La Rinconada, Peru, Searching for Beauty in Ugliness,” why do government officials rarely visit La Rinconada?

• a. There are no luxury hotels for visitors to stay in.
• b. Thin air and bitter cold make the place uninviting.
• c. Mining companies have made safe travel to the peak difficult.
• d. The people there are so angry that officials would feel unwelcome.

As explained in “In La Rinconada, Peru, Searching for Beauty in Ugliness,” how do the people at La Rinconada find gold? Choose two options.

• a. They pound gold out of the rock.
• b. They fish for gold in the toxic lakes.
• c. They use devices to locate gold in the mine.
• d. They pour cyanide to reveal gold inside rock.
• e. They look for chunks that have rolled out of stone.

According to the author of “In La Rinconada, Peru, Searching for Beauty in Ugliness,” how has the landscape at La Rinconada changed? Choose three options.

• a. There used to be grassland.
• c. There used to be leaping fish.
• d. There used to be sparkling lakes.
• b. There used to be fewer birds.
• e. There used to be a milder climate.

As explained in “In La Rinconada, Peru, Searching for Beauty in Ugliness,” why did the locals that live below La Rinconada form furious protests?

• a. They wanted all mining operations to leave the area.
• b. They wanted mining operations to be safer for locals.
• c. They wanted the Peruvian military to leave their land.
• d. They wanted La Rinconada restored to its original beauty.

Based on the text, what is the "cachorreo" system used in the mines of La Rinconada?

• a. A government-regulated wage paid in Peruvian soles.
• b. A system where miners work for 30 days unpaid for the right to keep any ore they find on the 31st day.
• c. A lottery where miners win housing in exchange for extra shifts.
• d. A safety protocol that requires miners to work in pairs to prevent accidents.

The author of “In La Rinconada, Peru, Searching for Beauty in Ugliness” implies that early stories about the amount of gold available may have been exaggerated. Which excerpt from the text best supports this idea?

• a. Down the centuries, the quest for El Dorado has held the South American continent in thrall, luring generations of fortune hunters to its far reaches.
• b. The geologic exuberance known as the Cordillera of the Andes has yielded a fount of treasure….
• c. Nowhere has Peru’s frenzy for gold been so fevered as in the mountains that surround Lake Titicaca.
• d. Gold no longer rolls from the mountain in chunks the size of a man’s head (if indeed it ever did).

In “In La Rinconada, Peru, Searching for Beauty in Ugliness,” the La Rinconada miners do backbreaking work in hopes of becoming rich. What does the author think of their chances of striking it rich?

• a. It could happen if a worker is extremely lucky.
• b. It is no longer possible because gold is so rare.
• c. It is more likely to happen in a different country.
• d. It is possible only for the hardest of the workers.