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Losing My Mother Tongue(Nepantla Families)

Total questions: 15

Worksheet time: 8mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Why didn't the elementary school in LA have any ESL or bilingual classes?

a)

The school was overpopulated

b)

Lack of resources

c)

There weren't any bilingual employees

d)

The schools did not have any minority students

2.

How long was the narrator ignored in her 5th grade class?

a)

About a week

b)

Two days

c)

Seven months

d)

The entire school year

3.

In school, why did Reyna feel ashamed as a Spanish speaker?

a)

She barely spoke English

b)

She was ignored/rejected by her teachers

c)

Many students could speak multiple languages while she only spoke one

d)

She was unable to learn English

4.

How did Reyna describe the junior high ESL classrooms?

a)

Old bungalows that were far away from actual school grounds

b)

High end portables with drinking fountain

c)

Vast building with multiple classrooms and labs

d)

Small one room classrooms within the surrounding wings

5.

Why was it rough to be associated with ESL classrooms if everyone in there is an English learner?

a)

She wished she was white

b)

Because of how strict the teachers are

c)

The stigma surrounding the immigrant kids.

d)

That's where the remedial classes were

6.

What did this ESL program focus on?

a)

Becoming experts in English

b)

Promoting bilingualism

c)

To become English proficient while maintaining the native tongue of the students

d)

To become English proficient

7.

How does Reyna define "subtractive bilingualism"?

a)

The removal of her tongue

b)

The removal of her mother tongue, psychological violence of tearing out her being

c)

When two solutions solved by subtraction are able to be divided evenly

d)

The eradication of her job opportunities

8.

In eighth grade, what made Reyna's first win in the writing competition bittersweet?

a)

Although it led to her becoming a professional writer, it further distanced herself from her mother tongue

b)

She was bullied even more afterwards

c)

Although it led to her becoming a professional writer, it further distanced herself from her mother

d)

Now expectations were higher which led to more pressure

9.

What age did Reyna cross the border and why is that significant?

a)

11, It led her to America

b)

6, The crossing introduced her to people she would soon learn to depend on

c)

12, It made her feel like she did not belong

d)

9, Her cultural identity was still being created, which led to liminality

10.

Why were Reyna's parents impervious to U.S. assimilation?

a)

Their confidence

b)

They were brave enough to resist

c)

Their Mexican identities had been fully formed and matured

d)

Their exceptional bilingualism

11.

True or False, subtractive bilingualism was pivotal in ensuring Reyna's success as a fully bilingual writer

a)

True, it allowed her to fully express herself in two different ways

b)

False, it led to her solely writing in English

12.

Why did Reyna feel she was betraying her mother tongue with the way the editors handled translations of her books?

a)

She felt her translations were subpar

b)

She wrote wrong translations

c)

They had to hire a translator because Reyna couldn't do it

d)

The editors would distort the Spanish translation beyond the story's original meaning

13.

True or False, despite the subtractive bilingualism, Reyna's relationship with her family was tight.

a)

False, it created more distance between them

b)

True, since both parties were able to communicate and understand each other completely

14.

What was the price Reyna paid for her successful integration into the U.S.?

a)

Hundreds of thousands of dollars

b)

Her ability to write

c)

Her relationship with her Mother

d)

Her confidence

15.

How did Reyna's daughter become proficient in both Spanish and English if she was in similar programs as Reyna?

a)

The programs her daughter were enrolled in encouraged their students to nurture their native tongue

b)

The programs had more money

c)

The programs cheated

d)

Reyna's daughter had youtube