Question

read the passage from
ames/nombres\ by julia alvarez.

by the time i was in high school, i was a popular kid, and it showed in my name. friends called me jules or hey jude, and once a group of troublemaking friends my mother forbade me to hang out with called me alcatraz. i was hoo-lee-tah only to mami and papi and uncles and aunts who came over to eat sancocho on sunday afternoons - old world folk whom i would just as soon go back to where they came from and leave me to pursue whatever mischief i wanted to in america. judy alcatraz, the name on the \wanted\ poster would read. who would ever trace her to me?

what main idea is conveyed in this passage?

julia feels like an outsider in her new culture.
julias many names help her fit into both cultures.
julia is having trouble with life in the us.
julias dominican culture was new to her friends.

Explanation:

Analyze the text details

Using the Names as Identity knowledge point, we see Julia describes her various American nicknames ("Jules", "Hey Jude", "Alcatraz") which show her popularity in high school, contrasting with her traditional Dominican name ("Hoo-lee-tah") used by her family.

Connect to central theme

Using the Cultural Hybridity and Central Idea knowledge points, the passage illustrates how her multiple names allow her to navigate and belong to both her American social life and her traditional Dominican family life.

Evaluate the options

• Option 1 suggests she feels like an outsider, which contradicts her statement of being a "popular kid."
• Option 2 correctly states that her many names help her fit into both cultures (American friends vs. Dominican family).
• Option 3 claims she has trouble with US life, which is not supported by her popularity and mischief.
• Option 4 focuses only on her friends' unfamiliarity, which is too narrow.

Answer:

• Julia feels like an outsider in her new culture.
• Julia's many names help her fit into both cultures. (Correct answer)
• Julia is having trouble with life in the US.
• Julia's Dominican culture was new to her friends.