English Language Arts Quiz (grades 9-10),
adapted for Spanish-speaking learners (CEFR levels B2-C1)
> This quiz addresses these standards from the Louisiana Department of Education for ELA.
Click to expand—read full standards.
Writing Standards –
Text Type and Purposes
W. 9-10.3b Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, description, reflection, and multiple plot lines, to develop experiences, mood, tone, events, and/or characters.
Language Standards –
Conventions of Standards English
L.9-10.1b Use various types of phrases (noun, verb, adjectival, adverbial, participial, prepositional, absolute) and clauses (independent, dependent; noun, relative, adverbial) to convey specific meanings and add variety and interest to writing or presentations.
Language Standards –
Vocabulary Acquisition and Use
L. 9-10.4a Use context (e.g., the overall meaning of a sentence, paragraph, or text; a word’s position or function in a sentence) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
Reading Standards for Literature –
Craft and Structure
RL.9-10.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or informal tone).
RL.9-10.5 Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how to structure a text, order events within it (e.g., parallel plots), and manipulate time (e.g., pacing, flashbacks) create such effects as mystery, tension, or surprise.
RL.9-10.6 Analyze a particular point of view or cultural experience reflected in works of literature drawing on a wide reading of world literature.
Reading Standards for Informational Text –
Key Ideas and Details
RI.9-10.2 Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.
Instructions: Read the passages “Mood and Plot Structure in Chronicle of a Death Foretold” and “Character Development in Like Water for Chocolate.”
The passages are in both English and Spanish. Analyze the passages to answer the accompanying questions.
Check your responses for the multiple-choice items with the rationale for the correct answers below each question.
Passage 1: Mood and Plot Structure in Chronicle of a Death Foretold
Rumors were circulating around the town about Santiago Nasar’s impending death, the protagonist of Gabriel García Márquez’s novella Chronicle of a Death Foretold. Reflecting back on the gossip of that fateful day, the character Father Carmen Amador says: “When I saw him [Santiago] safe and sound I thought it had all been a fib” (Márquez, page 28).1
The townspeople direct the blame for the crime away from themselves, developing the novella’s passive mood. The characters each offer their explanations for not warning the protagonist, Santiago, of the threats made against him by the Vicario twins—beginning with the servants in Santiago’s house, extending to the neighbors he saw on the town dock that day.
Many townspeople assume Santiago has already been warned by someone else and remain silent, almost from a sense of inertia. There is languor throughout the novella; in one instance, two of the characters are described as: “the only living creatures in the morass of two o’clock in the afternoon” (Márquez, page 36).
The plot steadily moves forward, toward the crime, with each chapter, but many flashbacks and jumps into the future occur. The novella contrasts its journalistic style with characteristics from the magic realism genre, such as the use of a cyclical timeline.
The narrator digresses and discusses the Vicario twins’ occupations years before the incident. Later, the narrator gives an account of one of the main character’s life, Angela Vicario, seventeen years after the crime. The non-chronological structure adds a mood of suspense to Chronicle of a Death Foretold that contrasts with the townspeople’s apathetic attitudes.
Leer el texto en español
Texto 1: El modo literario y la trama de Crónica de una muerte anunciada
Rumores circulaban por la ciudad sobre la inminente muerte de Santiago Nasar, el protagonista de Crónica de una muerte anunciada de Gabriel García Márquez. Al reflexionar sobre los chismes de ese día fatídico, el personaje Padre Carmen Amador dice: “Cuando lo vi sano y salvo pensé que todo había sido un infundio” (Márquez, página 35).2
Los habitantes del pueblo desvían la culpa del crimen de sí mismos, desarrollando un modo literario pasivo en el ambiente de la novela. Cada personaje ofrece sus explicaciones por no haber advertido al protagonista, Santiago Nasar, de las amenazas que le proferían los gemelos Vicario, empezando por los sirvientes de la casa de Santiago y extendiéndose a los vecinos que vio en el muelle del pueblo ese día.
Muchos habitantes del pueblo suponen que Santiago ya ha sido advertido por alguien más y permanecen en silencio, casi por un sentido de inercia. Hay languidez en toda la novela corta; en un momento, a dos de los personajes se les describe como: “los únicos seres vivos en el marasmo de las dos de la tarde” (Márquez, página 47).
La trama avanza gradualmente hacia el crimen, pero ocurren numerosos flashbacks y saltos al futuro. La novela corta contrasta su estilo periodístico con características del género del realismo mágico, como el uso de una cronología cíclica.
El narrador se desvía y habla sobre las ocupaciones de los gemelos Vicario años antes del incidente. Más tarde, el narrador da un relato de la vida de uno de los personajes principales, Ángela Vicario, diecisiete años después del crimen. La estructura no cronológica agrega un ambiente de suspenso a Crónica de una muerte anunciada que contrasta con las actitudes apáticas de los habitantes del pueblo.
1. Which option best describes the mood of Chronicle of a Death Foretold?
a. Resignation
b. Mystery
c. Ignorance
d. Lighthearted
Click to view answer #1
a. Resignation
Rationale: Option A. Resignation, is correct because the author describes “a sense of inertia” in the novella and gives examples of the characters being passive. Options B. Mystery, and option C. Ignorance, are incorrect because the author describes how all of the characers knew about the crime that would happen. Option D. Lighthearted, is an incorrect distractor from the answer because the characters are not described as feeling free from worries concerning the crime, despite their inaction.
Standard: Writing Standards – Text Type and Purposes W. 9-10.3b Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, description, reflection, and multiple plot lines, to develop experiences, mood, tone, events, and/or characters.
2. What type of phrase is “Reflecting back on that fateful day” ” in the first paragraph of Passage 1?
a. Infinitive
b. Absolute
c. Participial
d. Dependent
Click to view answer #2
c. Participial
Rationale: Option C is correct becuase the quote is a present participial phrase being used as an adjective to describe the character Father Carmen Amador. Option A is incorrect because the verb is not in its infinitive form: to reflect. Option B is incorrect because absolute phrases modify entire sentences and consist of: either a noun or pronoun; a participle; and (optional) modifiers and/or objects. Option D is an incorrect distractor because dependent clauses are not phrases.
Standard: Language Standards – Conventions of Standards English L.9-10.1b Use various types of phrases (noun, verb, adjectival, adverbial, participial, prepositional, absolute) and clauses (independent, dependent; noun, relative, adverbial) to convey specific meanings and add variety and interest to writing or presentations.
3. Read the quotation from Passage 1 and select the TWO closest synonyms to “fib.”
“When I saw him [Santiago] safe and sound I thought it had all been a fib” (Márquez, page 28).
a. Lie
b. Confirmation
c. Dream
d. Fabrication
e. Fact
f. Illusion
Click to view answer #3
a. Lie, d. Fabrication
Rationale: Options A. Lie and D. Fabrication are correct because they are synonyms of fib, which is often considered a small/white lie, an invention. Options B. Confirmation, and E. Fact, are antonyms of fib. Options C. Dream, and F. Illusion, are distractors that are neither synonyms nor antonyms.
Standard: Language Standards – Vocabulary Acquisition and Use L. 9-10.4a Use context (e.g., the overall meaning of a sentence, paragraph, or text; a word’s position or function in a sentence) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
4. Read the quotation from Passage 1 and select closest synonym to “morass.”
“There is languor throughout the novella; in one instance, two of the characters are described as: ‘the only living creatures in the morass of two o’clock in the afternoon’ (Márquez, page 36).”
a. Light
b. Bog
c. Weary
d. Inspiration
Click to view answer #4
b. Bog
Rationale: Option B. Bog, is correct because morass can be a muddy area or a confusing situation. Option A. Light, and B. Inspiration, are contradictory, opposite nouns in relation to morass to describe the afternoon. Option C. Weary, is an incorrect distractor because tiredness and fatigue are descriptions that go beyond the evidence provided in the passage.
Standard: Language Standards – Vocabulary Acquisition and Use L. 9-10.4a Use context (e.g., the overall meaning of a sentence, paragraph, or text; a word’s position or function in a sentence) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
5. The novella’s non-linear timeline is evidence of its:
a. non-fiction genre.
b. journalistic style.
c. magic realism elements.
d. chronological character development.
Click to view answer #5
c. magic realism elements.
Rationale: Option C is correct because the author describes a “cyclical timeline” being a characteristic of the magic realism literary genre. Options A. non-fiction genre, and B. journalistic style, are incorrect because a non-linear timeline is not characteristic of journalistic, non-fiction writing. Option D. chronological character development, is incorrect because the passage provides examples of the novella developing the characters’ stories through flashbacks and jumps into the future.
Standard: Reading Standards for Literature – Craft and Structure RL.9-10.5 Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how to structure a text, order events within it (e.g., parallel plots), and manipulate time (e.g., pacing, flashbacks) create such effects as mystery, tension, or surprise.
Passage 2: “Character Development in Like Water for Chocolate”
The Mexican writer Laura Esquivel is an example of a Spanish-speaking author who writes using the magic realism genre, such as in her novel: Like Water for Chocolate (1989). The protagonist, Tita, is a skilled chef and cooks many family meals throughout the story. Tita has a magical ability while cooking—the emotions she feels while preparing meals is transmitted to whoever eats the food (happiness, jealousy, sadness, anger, etc.).
From birth Tita has a more intimate connection with the kitchen than her other family members do. “[Her sisters] felt that playing in the kitchen was foolish and dangerous. But once, Tita managed to convince them to join her in watching the dazzling display made by dancing water drops dribbled on a red hot griddle” (Esquivel, page 12).3
Tita is downcast as she is faced with her family’s tradition and considers her fate as the youngest daughter to remain single and care for her mother, Mamá Elena, into old age. Tita suffers internally when Mamá Elena rejects the idea of meeting Tita’s romantic interest, Pedro, who wants to ask the mother’s permission to marry Tita.
“Tita lowered her head, and the realization of her fate struck her as forcibly as her tears struck the table. From then on they knew, she and the table, that they could never have even the slightest voice in the unknown forces that fated Tita to bow before her mother’s absurd decision, and the table – to continue to receive the bitter tears that she had first shed on the day of her birth” (Esquivel, page 16).
Emotional moments throughout the novel solidify Tita’s connection with cooking and food. Everything in the kitchen, including the table, is portrayed as Tita’s companions during her childhood and throughout her life.
Leer el texto en español
Texto 2: “Desarrollo de personajes en Como agua para chocolate”
La escritora mexicana Laura Esquivel es un ejemplo de una autora de habla hispana que escribe utilizando el género del realismo mágico, como en su novela: Como agua para chocolate (1989). La protagonista, Tita, es una chef experta y prepara numerosas comidas familiares a lo largo de la historia. Tita posee una habilidad mágica al cocinar: las emociones que siente al preparar los alimentos se transmiten a quien los come (alegría, celos, tristeza, ira, etc.).
Desde su nacimiento, Tita tiene una conexión más íntima con la cocina que sus otros miembros de la familia. “[A sus hermanas] Les parecían absurdos y arriesgados los juegos dentro de la cocina, sin embargo un día Tita las convenció de que era un espectáculo asombroso el ver cómo bailaban las gotas de agua al caer sobre el comal bien caliente” (Esquivel, page 15).4
Tita está desanimada al enfrentarse a la tradición de su familia y considera su destino como la hija menor de permanecer soltera y cuidar de su madre, Mamá Elena, en su vejez. Tita sufre internamente cuando Mamá Elena rechaza la idea de conocer el interés romántico de Tita, Pedro, quien desea pedirle permiso a la madre para casarse con Tita.
“Tita bajó la cabeza y con la misma fuerza con que sus lágrimas cayeron sobre la mesa, así cayó sobre ella su destino. Y desde ese momento supieron ella y la mesa que no podían modificar ni tantito la dirección de estas fuerzas desconocidas que las obligaban, a la una, a compartir con Tita su sino, recibiendo sus amargas lágrimas desde el momento en que nació, y a la otra a asumir esta absurda determinación” (Esquivel, page 17).
Los momentos emocionales a lo largo de la novela solidifican la conexión de Tita con la cocina y la comida. Todo en la cocina, incluyendo la mesa, se retrata como los compañeros de Tita durante su infancia y a lo largo de su vida.
6. What is the central idea of the Passage 2?
a. The protagonist is excited about carrying on her family’s cooking traditions.
b. The protagonist’s culinary skills add elements of magic realism to the novel.
c. The protagonist cooks with her mother throughout childhood in the kitchen.
d. The protagonist is taught skills in the kitchen by her sisters during childhood.
Click to view answer #6
b. The protagonist’s culinary skills add elements of magic realism to the novel.
Rationale: Option B is correct because the protagonist’s magical cooking abilities are mentioned in the first paragraph; then the table is portrayed as a companion at the end of Passage 2. Option A is incorrect because Tita is “downcast” thinking about her family’s tradition. Option C is incorrect because Tita is not mentioned cooking with her mother in Passage 2. Option D is incorrect because Tita has to convince her sisters to join her in the kitchen.
Standard: Reading Standards for Literature – Craft and Structure RL.9-10.6 Analyze a particular point of view or cultural experience reflected in works of literature drawing on a wide reading of world literature.
7. What are the words “dazzling” and “dancing” being used as in the second paragraph of Passage 2?
a. Articles
b. Infinitives
c. Gerunds
d. Prepositions
Click to view answer #7
c. Gerunds
Rationale: Option C is correct because the verbs dazzle and dance are in their “-ing” forms modifying “display” and “drops.” Option A is incorrect because the words are not any of the articles: a, an, the. Option B is incorrect because the words are not in their infinitive forms: to dazzle, to dance. Option D is incorrect because the words are not prepositions indicating movement, location or time.
Standard: Language Standards – Conventions of Standards English L.9-10.1b Use various types of phrases (noun, verb, adjectival, adverbial, participial, prepositional, absolute) and clauses (independent, dependent; noun, relative, adverbial) to convey specific meanings and add variety and interest to writing or presentations.
8. Read the quotation from Passage 2:
“Tita lowered her head, and the realization of her fate struck her as forcibly as her tears struck the table. From then on they knew, she and the table, that they could never have even the slightest voice in the unknown forces that fated Tita to bow before her mother’s absurd decision, and the table – to continue to receive the bitter tears that she had first shed on the day of her birth” (Esquivel, page 16).
Part A
Which option best describes the mood of Tita’s personal reflection?
a. Bored
b. Thoughtless
c. Amused
d. Oppressed
Click to view answer #8, Part A
d. Oppressed
Rationale: Option D, oppressed is correct because Tita has a realization that she will not have a voice in her future fate. Options A, bored, and B, thoughtless, are incorrect because Tita is engaged in a personal reflection about her future. Option C, amused, is incorrect because Tita is crying as she thinks.
Standard: Writing Standards – Text Type and Purposes L. W. 9-10.3b Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, description, reflection, and multiple plot lines, to develop experiences, mood, tone, events, and/or characters.
Part B
What literary device is used to talk about the table?
a. Personification
b. Allusion
c. Euphemism
d. Paradox
Click to view answer #8, Part B
a. Personification
Rationale: Option A, personification, is correct because the table is described as having a shared fate with Tita, as if it were a person. Option B, allusion, is incorrect because no reference to the table in an outside work is made. Option C, euphemism, is incorrect because no harsh or offensive word is being replaced by the table. Option D, paradox, is incorrect because the table is not a phrase containing a seeming contradiction.
Standard: Reading Standards for Literature – Craft and Structure RL.9-10.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or informal tone).
Part C
What type of clause is “Tita lowered her head…”?
a. Subordinate
b. Independent
c. Infinitive
d. Gerund
Click to view answer #8, Part C
b. Independent
Rationale: Option B, independent, is correct because the clause is a complete thought that can stand alone. Option A, subordinate, is incorrect because the clause is not dependent on the rest of the sentence. Options C, infinitive, and D, gerund, are incorrect distractors because they refer to phrases, not clauses.
Standard: Language Standards – Conventions of Standards English L.9-10.1b Use various types of phrases (noun, verb, adjectival, adverbial, participial, prepositional, absolute) and clauses (independent, dependent; noun, relative, adverbial) to convey specific meanings and add variety and interest to writing or presentations.
- Gabriel García Márquez. (2003). Chronicle of a Death Foretold (G. Rabassa, Trans.). New York, United States Random House Usa Inc. (Original work published 1981) ↩︎
- Gabriel García Márquez. (1985). Crónica de una muerte anunciada. Narradores de Hoy Bruguera. ↩︎
- Laura Esquivel. (1995). Like Water for Chocolate (C. Christensen, T. Christensen, Trans.). New York, Doublesday. (Original work published 1989) ↩︎
- Laura Esquivel. (1993). Como agua para chocolate. New York, Doublesday. ↩︎
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