Main Event
What is the setting of this story?
a. Llallagua, Bolivia
b. San Juan, Bolivia in the late 1960s
c. Llallagua, Bolivia in the late 1960s
d. Barrientos, Bolivia in the late 1960s
What is c (Llallagua, Bolivia in the late 1960s)?
At the beginning of the story, what does Galeano think about his storytelling abilities?
a. He is unsure.
b. He is extremely confident.
c. He talks about his artistic skills, but not his storytelling skills.
d. He is speechless.
What is A (He is unsure)?
What's the academic term for the character who opposes the main character?
a. foil
b. dynamic
c. protagonist
d. antagonist
What is D (antagonist)?
What are we told about the lives of the miners in Llallagua?
a. Because of their poverty and short life-expectancy, they are unable to have fun.
b. Despite their poverty and short life-expectancy, they are joyful, vivacious people.
c. Because of their poverty, they are alcoholics, the cause of their “early death from silicosis.”
d. Despite their poverty and short life-expectancy, they are cold, reserved people.
What is b (Despite their poverty and short life-expectancy, they are joyful, vivacious people)
According to the story, Barrientos, was_________?
a. The dictator who called for a massacre of the miners
b. One of the miners
c. Galeano's other name
d. One of the children whose portrait Galeano painted
This kind of story uses elements like figurative language, dialogue, setting, and interesting characters to describe true events.
a. fiction
b. expository essay
c. autobiography
d. personal narrative
What is D (personal narrative)?
What answer below explains this statement?
“I had a great time in that miserable frozen world…”
a. The town was beset by problems, and Galeano suffered too.
b. The town itself was a fun place, but the people there were miserable and hostile.
c. The town was beset by problems, but the people there welcomed Galeano into their lives.
d. The town was beset by problems, and Galeano enjoyed watching others suffer.
What is C (The town was beset by problems, but the people there welcomed Galeano into their lives)
What do these sentences tell us about Galeano’s opinion of his artistic abilities at the beginning of the story?
“I had always felt an urge to draw, though my sketches never managed to close the gap between myself and the world. The bigger abyss was between my skills and aspirations…”
a. He is satisfied with his artistic skills.
b. He believes that he has no artistic skills.
c. He is frustrated that his artistic skills don’t match his desire to make the world a better place.
d. His portraits and posters satisfy his desire to make the world a better place.
What is C (He is frustrated that his artistic skills don't match his desire to make the world a better place)?
What word or phrase below best matches the meaning of aspirations in this passage?
“I had always felt an urge to draw, though my sketches never managed to close the gap between myself and the world. The bigger abyss was between my skills and aspirations…”
a. talent, or ability
b. ability to breath, or the act of breathing
c. an audible breath
d. desire to achieve something important
What is D (desire to achieve something important)?
What is the main event of the story (Why I Became a Writer)?
a. Galeano telling the miners about the sea.
b. Galeano's drawing people at carnivals and public events.
c. The San Juan Massacre
d. Galeano's celebrating with his friends the miners, the night before he left Llallagua.
What is A (Galeano telling the miners about the sea)?
What does the sea represent to the miners in the story?
a. The sea is a place where they might find a reason to celebrate for the first time in their miserable, frozen lives.
b. Because it is warmer by the sea than in Llallagua, the sea is the place where they are likely to retire later in life.
c. The sea represents the things they will never be able to experience, the life that has been denied to them by their poverty and short life-expectancy.
d. The sea represents the miners’ belief that Galeano has betrayed them in some way, which is why they “surrounded me as if about to accuse me of something.”
What is C (The sea represents the things they will never be able to experience, the life that has been denied to them by their poverty and short life-expectancy)?
What phrase best matches the meaning of the word abyss in this sentence?
“The bigger abyss was between my skills and my aspirations, though some of my portraits turned out all right and I was good at lettering.”
a. Regions of hell described as a bottomless pit
b. An enormous distance or gulf
c. A great underwater depth
d. A catastrophic situation that is likely to occur
What is B (an enormous distance or gulf)?
Use the lines below to answer this question: What does the figurative language in this passage suggest about the act of storytelling?
“My duty was to bring the sea to them, and find words capable of soaking them through.”
a. Galeano must bring the sea to them, because they live in a landlocked, desert town.
b. Galeano must describe the sea with words.
c. Galeano must describe the sea so vividly that the miners can almost feel it.
d. Galeano must bring them to the sea in his truck.
What is c. (Galeano must describe the sea so vividly that the miners can almost feel it)?
In what way did his time in Llallagua change the way Galeano saw the world?
a. The experience convinced him that while he might be able to make a living making art, he would never be a great artist.
b. The experience convinced him that while stories might have some value for the privileged, they offer nothing to the downtrodden.
c. The experience showed him that he might be able to become famous as a storyteller.
d. The experience showed him that he might be able to bridge the gap between himself and the world as a storyteller.
What is D (The experience showed him that he might be able to bridge the gap between himself and the world as a storyteller)?
Genre means ___________________.
a. a type or category of music, film, or literature
b. a character against whom we compare the protagonist
c. the central conflict in a story
d. a story depicting truthful events through expressive language
What is A (a type or category of music, film, or literature)?