AHSGE Reading Articles and Passages with
Items
Directions: Read the following article and
answer numbers 1 through 10. (You may
look back at the article as often as you
like.)
Family Matters
by Poinciana Gutierrez
(1) On a cold, cloudy day, the family heads
north from the Keys in a caravan of cars
loaded with all the food and supplies for a
family outing into the unknown. Someone
brought a super-size thermos rich, black
coffee; someone else brought several bakery
boxes of fresh pastries. In the cooler, cans of
Coca-Cola and Mountain Dew grow cold.
We seek Parris Island, the spot in South
Carolina where our country’s "few and proud"
become trained Marines.
(2) My brother Hernando is graduating
from Marine basic training. Barely eighteen
and recently graduated from a local high
school, he’d never been away from home
before. But for the past 13 weeks, he has
survived the toughest basic training of the
U.S. military. All of the family in Miami—
aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents—has
made sure Hernando receives mail every day.
(3) Now a whole platoon of us—26 by
actual count—travel caravan style along
the long spine of Florida, through Georgia,
across South Carolina, and into North
Carolina. Our reputation precedes us.
According to Hernando's drill sergeant, no
other recruit has ever had this many relatives
attend the graduation. We hope Hernando is
as proud of us as we are of him. However,
this crowd chattering in Spanish might
embarrass a teenage recruit.
(4) Everyone is supposed to dress casually
and to wear black and gold, the colors of his
battalion. Just one week before we left, we
found enough of the batallion's colors for
everyone to display them proudly.
(5) On the morning of the graduation, we
all met in the motel lobby to discuss our
schedule for the day. We had unanswered
questions about appropriate behavior at the
ceremony. For example, can we clap, cheer,
shout, take photographs? Will we be
permitted to raise the younger children high
enough so they can see my brother?
(6) None of the family wants to do
anything that will embarrass Hernando.
People have already noticed our lilting
Spanish accents and the tempo of our music.
(7) While the family discusses the day's
schedule, I observe my father across the hotel
lobby. He is NOT dressed like the rest of us!
Instead, he wears mismatched suit pants and
jacket. His pink pants and bright orange
jacket shatter my senses. The black and gold
he should be wearing is nowhere in sight!
(8) “WHAT is he wearing?” my husband
whispers as he follows my stare. Everyone is
speechless.
(9) “He can’t wear that!” gasps one of the
family.
(10) We decide to mount an assault, but
the ambush fails to persuade him to change
clothes. He does not even understand why we
think he needs to change.
(11) “Your mother picked out these clothes
for me to wear," he mutters. He seems
confused and just stares at us.
(12) His aftershave permeates the room. It
is too strong and noticeable. He does not
realize that childhood memories of
embarrassing moments creep into my
thoughts. Being the child of immigrants is
very painful and leaves scars as inevitable as
the scraped knees and elbows.
(13) My chest tightens and I grow cold as I
look at my father's ridiculous outfit.
(14) Finally, we must leave or we won't
find seats on the bleachers along the field.
My father painfully pulls himself into the
front seat of the small bus.
(15) My father fled Communist Cuba,
escaping in a small fishing boat at sunrise.
He had a lucrative business in Cuba, which he
gave up to gain freedom in the United States.
And, although my father is 70 years old, past
normal retirement age, he still works 60 hours
a week.
(16) At the ceremony, our family glitters in
a black and gold spectrum. Other families
display their colors, too. We search for
Hernando as the platoons file in, but none of
us can find him. All of the recruits look the
same: they were all wearing the same
uniform.
(17) My father is proud of my brother. I
realize just how proud he is of Hernando, the
first family member to become a full-fledged
American Marine. I realize, too, that my
father risked his life to escape a dictatorship
and has sacrificed over the years precisely for
us to have opportunities like this one.
O
N
3. Which of these is the best summary of
the article?
Use "Family Matters" to answer
questions 1-10.
1. In paragraph 13, the word ridiculous
means
A
B
C
D
outrageous
prudent
false
sensible
A Poinciana Gutierrez writes of her
embarrassment when she travels with her
immigrant parents to her brother's Marine
graduation. Her Cuban relatives persist
in speaking loudly in Spanish. She fears
that her family's behavior at a formal
ceremony will further embarrass her.
Her father fulfills her prediction
by dressing for a public ceremony in a
ridiculous outfit.
B
Poinciana Gutierrez has traveled with
her large family to a ceremony for a
relative in another state. She laments
that the older family members draw
attention to themselves by speaking
Spanish loudly. However, her
embarrassment is overshadowed by
pride in her nephew, who has
successfully graduated from marine
basic training.
C
Poinciana Gutierrez looks back on her
childhood in an immigrant home. She
regrets that her parents were "clueless,"
though well-meaning. When she was a
teenager, her dates were chaperoned,
and her haircuts and clothing were
hopelessly out-of-date. Her father's
outfit at a family gathering emphasizes
his lack of taste. Gutierrez
begins to feel like a "stranger in a
strange land."
D
Poinciana Gutierrez and her large family
attend her brother's graduation from
marine basic training. On the morning
of the ceremony, Gutierrez's father
emharrasses her by wearing a ridiculous
outfit. Her embarrassment dissolves into
pride when she recalls her father's
courage in fleeing his native country and
building a new life in the United States.
Standard I -- Objective 1
2. The author's father is a -A
B
C
D
retired fisherman
police officer
short order cook
Cuban refugee
4. The author notes that
her brother may -A be embarrassed by his
relatives.
B
not attend the
ceremony.
C be given an award.
D return home to the
family business.
5. Why does the author's
chest tighten when she
smells her father's
aftershave?
A She is afraid that she
might cry in front
of her family.
B
The scent reminds her
of the times when
she was ashamed of
her parents.
C
The scent is
overpowering and
threatens to cause her
further distress.
D She is feeling strong
admiration for her
father.
6. A turning point in this
article occurs when -A the family
arrives in South
Carolina.
B
the brother
graduates from
basic
training.
7. Which quotation from
the article best
summarizes the author's
overall view of her
father?
A He does not even
understand why we
think he needs to
change.
B
C the author
watches her
father
getting into the
small bus.
D the members of
the family
discuss
their plans for
the day.
My father risked his
life to escape a
dictatorship and
sacrificed over the
years precisely for us
to have opportunities
like this one.
C His pink pants and
bright orange
jacket shatter my
senses..
D And, although my
father is 70 years
old, past normal
retirement age, he
still works 60 hours a
week.
8. Which of these best
describes the tone of
paragraphs 15 and 17?
A
Irritated
B
Admiring
C
Sad
D Serious
10. The next time the
author sees her father in
a ridiculous outfit, she is
more likely to -A refuse to make
jokes with her
husband about the
way her father
is dressed
B
9. Why does the author
use the words platoon in
paragraph 3 and mount
an assault and ambush in
paragraph 10?
A She is emphasizing the
military setting.
B
She wants to show her
affection for her
brother.
C She is showing her
strong resentment.
D She was raised in a
military family.
purchase clothes for
her father
C accept his different
way of dressing
D criticize the way he
is dressed