Lines 1–16: How does Rachel feel about birthdays? How do you know? 2. Lines 2–16: What does Rachel mean in lines 2–6 and lines 10–16 about feeling older?
3. Lines 10–11: Describe the language in these lines. Why might the author have chosen this kind of language?
4. Lines 32–48: Analyze the purpose of this part of the story, citing lines of dialogue that contribute to the development of the plot.
5. Lines 49–51: What are some character traits of Mrs. Price and Rachel? What specific words and phrases help reveal these traits?
6. Lines 66–77: What text shows the tension between Mrs. Price and Rachel? What does this scene tell readers about each character?
7. Lines 78–84: What do the details in this paragraph add to readers’ understanding of Rachel? How do the details affect the tone of the paragraph?
8. Lines 97–106: Describe the tone of this passage. What text creates this tone?
9. Lines 107–109: Where in the story did you read these lines before? Why does Cisneros repeat these words at these places in the story?