Vocabulary
What word means: the act of giving up something valuable—such as time, money, or a cherished possession?
sacrifice
Where is Francisco Jimenez’s family originally from, at the beginning of the book?
El Rancho Blanco
near Jalisco, Mexico
What did the family pick in Soledad (Chapter 2)?
cotton
What object represents Francisco's moving to another location?
Cardboard boxes
What topic does this BEST show?
They invaded the camp, moving through tents, searching for undocumented workers who ran into the wilderness behind the camp, trying to escape.
immigration
What word means: to remove someone's doubts by confidently telling them something is true or guaranteed?
assure
Who is Francisco's older brother?
Roberto
What crop did the Sheehey Farms grow?
strawberries
What is the "miracle in tent city" refer to? (Chapter 4)
Torito getting sick and then getting better
What topic does this BEST show?
Lifting my chin with her right hand and looking me straight in the eyes, Mamá said, “We’re safe and we have each other, gracias a Dios.”
Family
What word means: to move goods, people, or items into or out of a country, location, or organization secretly and illegally?
smuggle
Who are the youngest siblings in Francisco's family?
Rorra/Ruben
In Chapter 1, what happens when the family reaches Guadalupe to find work? What is the reason?
They are told they cannot work for two weeks because the strawberries have not grown yet
The transformation of the caterpillar represents/symbolizes Francisco's journey at school
What topic does this BEST show?
I was startled. I had not heard English for months. For a few seconds I remained speechless. I looked at the lady, who waited for an answer. My first instinct was to answer her in Spanish, but I held back. Finally, after struggling for English words, I managed to tell her that I wanted to enroll in the sixth grade.
language
What word means: person who lacks the courage to face danger, pain, opposition, or difficult situations?
coward
Why did Francisco not get what he wanted for Christmas? (Chapter 6)
His family didn't have enough money
What major event happens in Chapter 11? What 2 items does Francisco lose because of it?
They have a fire in their home. Francisco loses his notepad and pennies.
What does Chapter 5's title, El Angel del Oro (The Golden Angel), refer to?
It refers to the neighbor's goldfish that Francisco and Mama watched during their free time
What topic does this BEST show?
“I didn’t want to leave them, but I had no choice. We have to eat, you know. I send them a few dollars every month for food and things. I’d like to send them more, but after I pay Diaz for room and board and transportation, little is left.”
wealth/money
What word means: to pull, drag, or transport something heavy with considerable effort ?
haul
Find a quote from the book that shows how Francisco still learns English despite his working schedule.
Example: "And after I left Miss Martin’s class, I continued adding new words and their definitions to my note pad. I also wrote other things I needed to learn for school and things I wanted to know by heart, like spelling words, and math and grammar rules. I carried the note pad in my shirt pocket and, while I worked in the fields, memorized the information I had written in it. I took my librito with me wherever I went"
What is the last location the family moves to in the book?
Santa Maria
What inference can you make when the author describes their cousin leaving El Rancho Blanco?
Fito had left El Rancho Blanco. He was working in a tequila factory and living in a two-bedroom house that had electricity and a water well. He told Roberto that he, Fito, didn’t have to get up at four in the morning any more, like my brother, to milk the five cows by hand and carry the milk in a large aluminum can on horse for several miles to the nearest road, where a truck would transport it to town to sell. He didn’t have to go to the river for water, sleep on dirt floors, or use candles for light.
You can infer that the family is poor and Fito found a better life by leaving the ranch.
What topic does this BEST show?
I could not sleep thinking about Christmas. Once in a while, Papá’s words “but we’re broke too” entered my mind, but I pushed them out with fantasies of playing with my very own ball.
hope