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?

based on this passage, what inference can you make about the way alvarez became accustomed to life in the united states?

• she felt more comfortable in the company of her dominican family.
• she made many american friends but refused to let go of her culture.
• she introduced her american friends to many dominican customs.
• she became very well accustomed to life among americans.

Explanation:

Analyze the passage details

The narrator describes her high school experience in America. She notes that she was a popular kid with many Americanized nicknames like "Jules," "Hey Jude," and "Alcatraz." She contrasts this with her traditional Dominican name, "Hoo-lee-tah" (Julita), which was only used by her family ("Mami and Papi and uncles and aunts"). She refers to her family as "old world folk" and expresses a desire to be left alone to "pursue whatever mischief I wanted to in America." This shows a strong inclination to blend in and live like her American peers.

Evaluate the options

• Option 1: "She felt more comfortable in the company of her Dominican family." This is incorrect because she describes her family as "old world folk whom I would just as soon go back to where they came from."
• Option 2: "She made many American friends but refused to let go of her culture." This is incorrect because she actively embraces her American nicknames and wishes to distance herself from her family's traditional ways to pursue life in America.
• Option 3: "She introduced her American friends to many Dominican customs." The text does not mention her introducing friends to her family's customs; rather, her family customs (like eating sancocho) remain separate.
• Option 4: "She became very well accustomed to life among Americans." This is supported by the text (Making Inferences). Her popularity, her multiple American nicknames ("Jules", "Hey Jude", "Alcatraz"), and her desire to pursue her own life in America show she adapted deeply to American teenage culture (Cultural Hybridity, Names as Identity).

Answer:

• She felt more comfortable in the company of her Dominican family.
• She made many American friends but refused to let go of her culture.
• She introduced her American friends to many Dominican customs.
• She became very well accustomed to life among Americans. (Correct answer)