“Eleven” by Sandra Cisneros Quiz and Close Reading Bundle

Item description

“Eleven” by Sandra Cisneros is a coming-of-age short story involving a girl who, for the first time, experiences public marginalization and must learn to navigate an unjust world. This bundle of assessments helps English teachers evaluate reading comprehension, support the development of close reading skills, and promote homework accountability. The brevity of the narrative also helps to fill awkward gaps in teaching schedules. Answer keys are included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats.

By completing the plot-based quiz, students will demonstrate knowledge of the following:

• Point of view
• The significance of the title
• The narrator’s perspective on aging
• The general characterization of Mrs. Price
• The reason the narrator is upset
• How the narrator attempts to cope with emotional turmoil
• Why the narrator is instructed to put on a sweater
• The actual owner of the red sweater
• The narrator’s assumption about Sylvia
• The narrator’s desire for her mother’s comfort
• The narrator’s self-perception

By completing the close reading activity, students will perform the following tasks:

• Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly
• Examine nuances in words with similar meanings
• Isolate the story’s inciting incident
• Examine how complex characters think, behave, develop, and interact
• Identify the narrative’s antagonist
• Evaluate the significance of the teacher’s last name (Price) given the context of the plot
• Argue in support of the claim that the protagonist is smarter and wiser than a typical eleven-year-old
• Predict how Rachel will be affected by her embarrassing classroom experience
• Explore the symbolic meaning behind the phrases “big red mountain” and “runaway balloon”
• Discern the tone of a given excerpt
• Explore theme
• Defend claims with valid reasoning and relevant textual evidence
• Write ideas with clarity, accuracy, and precision
• Come to class/leave class better prepared to discuss literary materials

Materials are available for teaching a variety of texts such as:

• Animal Farm by George Orwell
• Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
• Feed by M.T. Anderson
• Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
• Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare
• The Adventures of Ulysses by Bernard Evslin
• The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
• The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare