Name ______#_____

Congress Speaks Spanish

Inside the halls of Congress, more and more lawmakers are speaking Spanish. Congress is the branch of government that makes the laws. Congress is made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate.

"Many politicians are studying Spanish," says political expert Michael Shifter. Some lawmakers are taking Spanish classes and debating their positions in Spanish. Others hold bilingual press conferences in English and Spanish. Bilingual refers to being spoken or expressed in two languages. Some lawmakers of Hispanic origin also speak to each other in Spanish.

The increased interest in Spanish follows a sharp growth in the Hispanic population in the United States. Hispanics, also known as Latinos, make up the fastest-growing minority group in the country.

Hispanic Americans are people in the United States whose families come from Spanish-speaking countries. Most of those countries are located in Central and South America. The latest census, or population count, shows that more than 41 million people in the United States are Hispanic.

Monday Night #1-#4

_____ 1. What is the main idea of “Congress Speaks Spanish”?

A. Congress is now having meetings in Spanish.

B. the laws that Congress writes are being written in

Spanish.

C. Congress is voting for Spanish to be the official

language in the United States.

D. sometimes members of Congress use Spanish.

______2. Part A

According to the article, someone who is bilingual

  1. speaks two languages
  2. speaks only English
  3. speaks three languages
  4. speaks only Spanish

_____ 2. Part B

A bilingual newspaper would be written

A. in English and Spanish.

B. inFrance and England.

C. inMississippi and Alabama.

D. in London and Paris.

_____ 3. A census is

A. how many people visit a given area.

B. a record of how many people live in a given

area.

C. the area where the people are counted.

D. the percentages of each type of group in a

given area.

_____ 4. This passage takes place

a. all over the United States.

b. in New York City.

c. in Washington D.C.

d. in Los Angeles.

Tuesday Night #5-#8

______5.Hispanic Americans make up one of the fastest-growing minority groups in the country. Based on this passage, what effect might this growth be having on lawmakers?

A. Members of Congress want to write laws in Spanish.
B. More politicians are traveling to Spanish-speaking countries. C. Many politicians are teaching Spanish classes.
D. Some lawmakers are learning Spanish.

______6. Read the following sentence from the passage: "Some lawmakers are taking Spanish classes and debating their positions in Spanish." In this sentence, the word debating means

A. memorizing

B. writing
C. arguing
D. forgetting

______7. Review the Lawmaking Lingo box with this article. Which Spanish word would a lawmaker use when referring to a vote?

A. politico B. senador

C. leyD. votoanswer)

8. Why might the sharp growth in the Hispanic population influence politicians to learn Spanish?

______

Thursday Night #9-#12

Cesar Gets It Done!

Cesar was a worker in the fields Where crops were grown.
He moved from farm to farm Because the land was not his own.

The owners of the land
Gave workers very little pay.
The workers could not rest
And worked long hours every day.

Cesar told the workers
It was time to take a stand. Together, they could go on strike! Then who would work the land?

The workers stuck together,
And they got more pay—they won! “Si, se puede,” Cesar said—
“Yes, it can be done!”

______9. How many stanzas are in “Cesar Gets It Done!”?

  1. 4
  2. 2
  3. 16
  4. 1

______10. How would “Cesar Gets it Done!” be different if it were written as prose?

  1. “Cesar Gets it Done!” would have an unknown author if it were written as prose.
  1. “Cesar Gets it Done!” would have paragraphs instead of stanzas if it were written as prose.
  1. “Cesar Gets it Done!” would have stanzas instead of chapters if it were written as prose.
  1. “Cesar Gets it Done!” would have verses instead of paragraphs if it were written as prose.

______11. What does “stuck together” mean as it is used inline 13?

  1. The workers were glued together.
  2. The workers were family.
  3. The workers helped each other.
  4. The workers were neighbors.

______12. Which trait best describes Cesar?

  1. friendly
  2. hardworking
  3. curious
  4. independent