Characters and Plots
Who is the author of Names/Nombres?
Julia Alvarez
Who said, "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet"?
Shakespeare (quoted by the author's mother)
What word means "to change to fit a new situation"?
adapt
How does Julia feel about her name at the beginning of the story?
Proud – she describes it as an "orchestra of sound."
What happens to the family's name at the Immigration office?
The officer mispronounces it as "Elburres."
Complete the quote: "I burned with ______________ whenever they singled me out as a 'foreigner.'"
shame
What word means "the traditions and culture passed down from family"?
heritage
How does Julia feel about her heritage in the middle of the story?
Ashamed – she wants to hide it and fit in.
Why did the author's mother almost change her sister's name in the hospital?
She was embarrassed because Mauricia was not a common American name.
Complete the quote: "How could anyone get Elburres out of that ______________?"
orchestra of sound
What word means "extremely complicated"?
How does Julia feel about her identity at the end of the story?
She accepts both her American and Dominican identities.
What does Julia's family predict about her name at the end of the story?
That her name will become well-known throughout the United States.
Complete the quote: "I laughed to myself, wondering which one I would ______________."
go by
What word means "to show or tell something that was hidden"?
reveal
What is the main theme of Names/Nombres?
Names are connected to our identity and heritage. We should be proud of who we are.
What happened to the sister's name when the family returned to the States eleven years later?
Americans found it hard to say "Moor-ee-sha" and called her Maria, Marsha, or Maudy.
What does the author mean when she says her name was "chaotic with sounds as a Middle Eastern bazaar"?
Her name is full of energy, life, and many different sounds—it is rich and complicated, like a busy market.
What word means "in a way that cannot be avoided"?
inevitably
Why does Julia "burn with shame" when her classmates ask where she is from?
She wants to be seen as American, not as a foreigner. She is embarrassed about being different.