"Born Worker" by Gary Soto

“Born Worker” is told in from which point of view?

• 1st person
• 3rd person limited
• 3rd person omniscient

The author most likely chose this narrative point of view to

• suggest that José is the hero of the story and Arnie is the villain
• give readers a window into José’s thoughts at crucial moments in the story
• make readers more resentful of José’s cousin, Arnie
• express disapproval towards the character of Mr. Clemens

What do the following lines mainly reveal about Arnie, from Jose’s point of view (paragraph 10)? “Hi, Arnie,” José said without much enthusiasm. He didn’t like his cousin. He thought he was lazy and, worse, spoiled by the trappings of being middle class. His parents had good jobs in offices and showered him with clothes, shoes, CDs, vacations, almost anything he wanted. Arnie’s family had never climbed a telephone pole to size up the future."

• Arnie doesn’t understand how hard most people have to work for a living.
• José admires Arnie and wants to be like him.
• José is planning to steal Arnie’s possessions.
• Arnie’s family cheated José’s parents out of their savings.

Which of the following words best replaces jabbering as it is used in the passage below (paragraph 130)?José walked away from Arnie’s jabbering. He walked away, and realized that there were people like his cousin, the liar, and people like himself, someone he was getting to know.

• teasing
• yelling
• chattering
• fighting

Which of the following inferences is best supported by the following passage (paragraph 44)?In the next two weeks, Arnie found an array of jobs. José peeled off shingles from a rickety garage roof, carried rocks down a path to where a pond would go, and spray-painted lawn furniture. And while Arnie accompanied him, most of the time he did nothing. He did help occasionally. He did shake the cans of spray paint and kick aside debris so that José didn’t trip while going down the path carrying the rocks. He did stack the piles of shingles, but almost cried when a nail bit his thumb. But mostly he told José what he had missed or where the work could be improved. José was bothered because he and his work had never been criticized before.

• Arnie is a poor worker due to health problems.
• Arnie is likely taking advantage of his cousin’s work ethic.
• Arnie is a perfectionist.
• Arnie deserves his cut of the profits for his ingenuity.

Which sentence from the text most strongly supports the answer to the previous question?

• “In the next two weeks, Arnie found an array of jobs.”
• "José peeled off shingles from a rickety garage roof, carried rocks down a path to where a pond would go, and spray-painted lawn furniture.”
• “And while Arnie accompanied him, most of the time he did nothing.”
• “He did stack the piles of shingles, but almost cried when a nail bit his thumb.”

What does José learn about himself after his experience with Mr. Clemens?

• He should have listened to Arnie and run away from the scene
• Do your own work instead of relying on others to do it for you.
• A willingness to do what is hard shows that someone is a good person, and his future may have more in it than just labor.
• The only people who succeed in life are those who look out for themselves first.

Which sentence(s) from the passage supports your answer to the previous question?

• “A fireman led José away and asked what happened. He was starting to explain when his cousin reappeared, yapping like a poodle.”
• "If he had been there, his father would have seen that José was more than just a good worker. He would have seen a good man."
• “‘I was scrubbing the pool,’ Arnie shouted, ‘and I said, ‘Mr. Clemens, you shouldn’t stand so close to the edge. But did he listen?’”
• “José walked away from Arnie’s jabbering.”

In "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer," Tom eats an apple that Ben Rogers gives him while he sits in the shade and watches him whitewash the fence. In what way does “Born Worker” allude to that detail?

• Arnie complains that it’s going to get very hot.
• Arnie asks José to name his favorite fruit.
• Arnie eats some loquats while watching José work.
• Arnie complains about getting fruit juice on his clothing.

Which sentence from the passage supports your answer to the previous question?

• “When the spray got too close, his cousin screamed, got up, and, searching for something to do, picked a loquat from a tree.”
• “‘What’s your favorite fruit?’ Arnie asked.”
• “‘It’s going to be blazing,’ Arnie complained.”
• “He returned to the pool, his cheeks fat with seeds, and once again sat on the edge.”