Characters, Conflict, And Idioms In "Daughter Of Invention" By Julia Alvarez

30 August 2022
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question
Read the excerpt from "Daughter of Invention". "Thanks, thanks a lot, Mom!" Yoyo stormed out of that room and into her own. Her daughters never called her Mom except when they wanted her to feel how much she had failed them in this country. She was a good enough Mami, fussing and scolding and giving advice, but a terrible girlfriend parent, a real failure of a Mom. Based on this excerpt, what can be concluded about the daughters?
answer
They sometimes wish their mother would be more like the American moms.

Explanation: The daughters seem to be disappointed in their mother for not being more like a traditional "girlfriend parent." They may feel that she is not supportive enough or that she does not understand them.
question
Read the excerpt from "Daughter of Invention". "Maybe not. Maybe, just maybe, there's something they've missed that's important. With patience and calm, even a burro can climb a palm." This last was one of her many Dominican sayings she had imported into her scrambled English. What is the meaning of the idiom underlined in the excerpt?
answer
Anything can be accomplished.

Explanation: The idiom underlined in the excerpt means that even the most stubborn person can be persuaded to change their ways if given enough time and patience.
question
Read the excerpt from "Daughter of Invention". "Ay, Cuquita." That was her communal pet name for whoever was in her favor. "Cuquita, when I make a million, buy you your very own typewriter." (Yoyo had been nagging her mother for one just like the one her father had bought to do his order forms at home.) "Gravy on the turkey" was what she called it when someone was buttering her up. She buttered and poured. "I'll hire you your very own typist." Based on this excerpt, what can be concluded about Laura?
answer
She does not know the grammar rules in English.

Explanation: From the excerpt, it can be concluded that Laura is a generous person. She is willing to help others, even if it means sacrificing her own needs.
question
Read the excerpt from "Daughter of Invention". "iYa, ya!" She waved them out of her room at last. "There is no use trying to drink spilt milk, that's for sure." What does Laura mean to express to her daughters?
answer
She does not want to dwell on something that cannot be changed.

Explanation: Laura is telling her daughters that it is no use crying over spilt milk.
question
Read the excerpt from "Daughter of Invention". "Maybe not. Maybe, just maybe, there's something they've missed that's important. With patience and calm, even a burro can climb a palm." This last was one of her many Dominican sayings she had imported into her scrambled English. Which English idiom has the same meaning as the one underlined in this excerpt?
answer
Slow and steady wins the race.

Explanation: Maybe there's something they've missed that's important. With patience and calm, even a burro can climb a palm." This last was one of her many Dominican sayings she had imported into her scrambled English.This idiom means that even the most difficult tasks can be accomplished with time and patience.
question
Read the excerpt from "Daughter of Invention". "iYa, ya!" She waved them out of her room at last. "There is no use trying to drink spilt milk, that's for sure." What does Laura's attempt at trying to use an English idiom reveal about her character?
answer
She is eager to try English phrases and expressions.

Explanation: Laura's attempt at using an English idiom reveals her character as someone who is trying to learn English and is familiar with some English idioms but is not yet fluent.
question
Read the excerpt from "Daughter of Invention". "What ees wrrrong with her eh-speech?" Carlos wagged his head at her. His anger was always more frightening in his broken English. As if he had mutilated the language in his fury—and now there was nothing to stand between them and his raw, dumb anger. "What is wrong? I will tell you what is wrong. It show no gratitude. It is boastful. I celebrate myself? The best student learns to destroy the teacher?" He mocked Yoyo's plagiarized words. "That is insubordinate. It is improper. It is disrespecting of her teachers—" In his anger he had forgotten his fear of lurking spies: each wrong he voiced was a decibel higher than the last outrage. Finally, he shouted at Yoyo, "As your father, I forbid you to make that eh-speech!" What does Carlos' language reveal about his character?
answer
He has trouble speaking clearly in English.

Explanation: Carlos' language reveals that he is a very angry man. He is also very disrespectful of Yoyo and her teachers.
question
Which of Laura's misquoted idioms from "Daughter of Invention" is intended to mean that it makes no difference to her?
answer
This answer is not "green behind the ears"

Explanation: The idiom "it makes no difference to her" is intended to mean that Laura does not care about the consequences of her actions. She is willing to take risks and does not worry about the potential consequences. This is likely due to her youth and inexperience.
question
Read the excerpt from "Daughter of Invention". "Sticks and stones don't break bones," she chanted. Yoyo could tell, though, by the look on her face, it was as if one of those stones the kids had aimed at her daughters had hit her. But she always pretended they were at fault. "What did you do to provoke them? It takes two to tangle, you know." In this excerpt, the uniqueness of Laura's speech is revealed by her
answer
word usage

Explanation: This phrase is not something that is commonly used in everyday speech, which reveals that Laura is not a native speaker of English. Additionally, the fact that Laura is using this phrase in an attempt to comfort her daughter reveals that she is not fully comfortable with the language herself. This is further revealed by the fact that she uses the phrase "it takes two to tangle," which is a more literal translation of the phrase "it takes two to tango." This reveals that Laura is not completely fluent in English and is still learning the language.
question
Read the excerpt from "Daughter of Invention". Meanwhile, Yoyo was on her knees, weeping wildly, collecting all the little pieces of her speech, hoping that she could put it back together before the assembly tomorrow morning. But not even a sibyl could have made sense of those tiny scraps of paper. All hope was lost. "He broke it, he broke it," Yoyo moaned as she picked up a handful of pieces. What conflict does Yoyo face in this excerpt?
answer
Yoyo is saddened by her father's disapproval of the message in her speech for the assembly.

Explanation: The conflict that Yoyo faces in this excerpt is that she has lost her speech for the assembly tomorrow morning and she is trying to collect the pieces.