STUDY Guidenames/Nombresby Julia Alvarez

Name ______Period ______

STUDY GUIDENames/Nombresby Julia Alvarez

1. How can Julia Alvarez’s family best be described? large, close, and caring

2. According to “Names/Nombres,” what does Alvarez think about her last name when she first arrives in New York from the Dominican Republic? It has a beautiful sound.

1. According to the story, what do Alvarez’s nicknames Jules and Hey Jude show? Alvarez is popular and accepted.

1. Julia Alvarez writes that the Dominican Republic is in the Caribbean. What would be the best way to prove this fact? Look on a map.

1. Why does Alvarez’s full name interest her friends? It is much longer than their names.

1. An informal essay can sound friendly. What factor would likely contribute to the tone? humor

1. What does Alvarez think about her “new names” after she has been in the United States for a while? She wonders whether she should correct her teachers and friends when they use them.

1. In “Names/Nombres,” why do Alvarez’s family members sit in the first row at her graduation ceremony? They want to be sure to understand the fast-spoken English.

1. In the story, Alvarez mentions a change in attitude toward “ethnicity” in the United States during the 1960s. Who were Americans more willing to accept after this change? People with a dark complexion.

10. How does Julia Alvarez describe her extended family in “Names/Nombres”? She has many relatives, and their relationships are complicated.

Vocabulary– Write the definition for each word.

11. mistook – identified incorrectly; misunderstood

12. pursue – be involved in; follow up

13. transport – carry from one place to another

14. inevitably – unavoidably

15. chaotic – completely confused

16. inscribed – written on

Reading Skill – Fact and Opinion (Fill in the blank.)

17. A fact is information that must be ____proven____.

18. An opinion is a person’s ___judgment__ or ____belief______.

19. You can check facts by using different resources. You can check facts by looking at amap or asking an expert. Name 4 more ways.

1.

2.

3.

4.

Literary Analysis: Tone

The tone of a literary work is the writer’s attitude toward his or her audience or subject. The tone can be described in one word, such as playful, serious, or humorous.Factors that contribute to the tone are word choice, sentence structure, and sentence length. Formal writing would have more complicated word choice and sentence structure. Informal writing may include humor, simple word choice and sentence structure. Informal writing may sometimes sound like __conversation__. Formal writing usually has longer sentenceswhile informal writing has_ shorter .

Text-Based Question: According to “Names/Nombres,” how does Julia Alvarez feel when she first comes to the United States and hears her name mispronounced? In an essay, describe Alvarez’s changing thoughts about her name. How does she feel when she is first called Judy? How does she feel about her name when she graduates from high school? Finally, what does the name that appears below the title of this essaytell you about her feelings about her name as an adult?